Dopp Hops to Lobbyland,
"I Wish I Could Quit You"
Vacation Taken, He Flies,
Seeking A Kindly Master

Henry J. Stern
Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Day One - Everything changes

Day 282 - Dopp takes flight

Friday we wrote about TrooperChopperGate (henceforth denominated TCG..  We explain why the contretemps and multiple investigations had certain aspects of farce, because various Inspector Clouseaus pored over similar material and drew slightly different conclusions, depending on how hard they looked, what they were trying to find, and who was running against whom in 2010.

Nonetheless, dog and pony show that it may be, the conclusion of the five separate taxpayer-funded investigations will have some impact on the standing of the characters. The perceived outcome may depend on how convincing the witnesses look when they do their Rashomon acts, and to what cross-examination, if any, they will have to bear.

We enjoyed the weekend watching fall foliage. While Columbus Day has official status, a reader wrote in to tell us that October 9 was Leif Erikson Day, commemorating the Viking discovery of North America ( Vineland, now called Newfoundland).  The current observance of Erikson day began in 1964, when Congress authorized and requested LBJ to proclaim such a day each year to honor Americans of Nordic descent.  Although the ninth of October had no known significance in Erikson's life, which is roughly estimated to have been from 970 to 1020 C.E., the day was chosen because the sloop Stavanger, built in 1801 and a symbol of American-Nordic co-operation, arrived in New York on that day in 1825,  just before the Pequod began to ply its trade.  The day should not detract from Columbus Day, which commemorates the arrival of another explorer in the West Indies in 1492.  Thanks to A.E. Lawson, my law school classmate, for recalling Leif Erikson Day. BTW, it was Leif's father, Erik the Red, who founded the first Norse settlement in Greenland in 985. That is why Leif is called Erikson. But you knew that.

Another note on the calendar: We were reminded by a dozen Jewish readers that Simchat Torah began at sundown on Thursday, October 4. We were off by a day. On that happy holiday, when I was a kid treats were given out in the synagogue (yes, once a year), and it is the day that the congregation finishes reading the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament). Then they start over with Genesis. They have been doing it for three thousand years, although some say longer. A simcha is a blessing. The Aschkenasy Jews pronounce the word Simchas, the Sephardic Jews (and Israelis) say Simchat.

Don't worry, it is better to read about the Norse and the Jews than about Albany But it is our mission to keep you informed of what is happening in our time, in our state

Today we learn that Darren Dopp, the governor's aide at the center of what may or may not have been said, will not remain to the public payroll. Instead be as close to it as you can get while remaining in the private sector.  He will be a partner with the large and influential lobbying firm Patricia Lynch Associates.  Ms. Lynch was formerly a top aide to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Her firm has both Democratic and Republican partners and clients. She is a very important person.

First, Darren Dopp deserves a nickname.  It will be Doppelganger (a ghostly counterpart of a living person) since he will now be part Silver and part Spitzer.  Dopp spent eight years doing press with Attorney General (now Governor) Spitzer and almost seven months in the Executive Chamber. He was suspended without pay by the governor on July 23 for unspeakable ‘egregious’ actions and restored to the payroll August 26 for the purpose of using up his leave time.

Double D appears to have been traded to a new team, making the jump from the Spitzers of Fifth Avenue on the Upper East side to the Silvers of Grand Street on the Lower East Side.  The Uppers are book smart and have more elegant resumes, but the Lowers are street smart and get along with people, by intimidation if necessary.. 

We do not know whether the metamorphosis of Dopp from attack dog to spaniel was initiated by his old boss or his new one.  Dopp would not have gotten his new job with Ms. Lynch without the consent of the Speaker. This may show the Albany crowd that even if Eliot dumps his faithful servant after nine years over an action he now deliberately denies or defends, depending on the day he discusses it, the good old reliable buddy, Shelly, is ready to pick the wounded bird off the floor after he hit the glass window, and give him another chance to sing for his supper.  

Or it may have happened because Darren knows a great deal about the rise to power of a well-born prosecutor, and this information could be useful to those who are compelled by law to deal with him. There is an odd chance that Shelly is doing Eliot a favor by taking Darren off his hands.  He can't write any books while he is working on the speaker’s side of the street.  His speech will belong to Silver, but his silence will be golden.

Darren Dopp is considered competent but he can be cutthroat.  While Spitzer was Attorney General, Dopp leaked like a sieve, giving nuggets of information about pending cases.  This would be regarded as unethical by those who believe that cases should be tried in court, not by press release.  Others would argue that since corporations are so rich, powerful and well lawyered, the only way to reach them is by public shaming.  Since Dopp is not a lawyer, he may or may not be bound by a lawyers code of ethics, but he was obviously spinning on behalf of his employer, a graduate of Harvard Law School who is a gifted member of the New York bar. In fact, he appoints many of the judges. In their defense, the AG's office is by no means the only leaky faucet in the house of ill-kept secrets. A first-hand account of some of the these shenanigans is provided by Charles Gasparino, who described his encounters with Dopp in the July 27 Post..

Dopp showed his loyalty to Spitzer by taking the fall for whatever he did this year with the state police, although the information he wanted on Senator Bruno’s political air flights at public expense was otherwise available.  Loyalty and discretion are qualities that are valued in the Capitol, and Dopp is expected to serve his new employer with the same fidelity he showed his old mentor.  Now that he is back on a payroll, he can continue to pay off his mortgage and educate his children.  They say he will not be a lobbyist, but will devote himself to the public relations work of Patricia Lynch Associates. A communications consultant, Dopp may, however, have information that could be useful to those who do the lobbying. There is nothing wrong with that.

We are pleased that Dopp has found a safe harbor, with the aid of the man who may still be New York State's most powerful Democrat, although the general expectation was that that role would end January 1.  On the other hand, one should never underestimate a sitting governor with intellect, money and commitment. When push comes to shove, the mob rallies about the king, not the courtiers. Remember Marc Antony's speech.

For anyone who thinks this pas de deux is unusual, don't worry, this is Albany.   We look forward to seeing where the players will be when the music stops next time.   Oddly, we wish these people well as individuals, they are not monsters.  It is the system of government which gives them inordinate power over the State and its budget that is grotesque.  To the extent the oligarchs share any power, it is with their contributors and some of their vassals, many of whom are elected.  But can we say for certain that if the sheep had autonomy, their bleats would be any wiser?  Or would a new set of obligations and payoffs appear with the decentralization of power. Ironically, in terms of the public interest, the cause of reform does not insure that, even if it is achieved, the substantive results will be any better. There will, however, be more cooks preparing the broth, hopefully not spoiling it..

The governor considers himself a reformer, but he does not show regard or respect for anyone who disagrees with him on any issue, viewing every legislative dispute as a contest between good and evil, with himself, of course, as the white knight.  This makes it difficult to bargain or negotiate on issues so there isn't much bargaining going on. That means nothing much happens in Albany, while money continues to hemorrhage from the swollen budget and young people continue to leave chilly and jobless regions upstate.

We consider ourselves reformers and progressives, but government is not a morality play, with all the good guys on one side. It can be so in many countries around the world which are ruled by a dictatorship or a junta. Here in the United States, however, it would be hard to maintain that any one faction or public official has a permanent monopoly on truth and justice.

Can we get down to the public issues that face the State of New York? Now we are approaching the middle of October. The leaves are falling fast.

Press Review

Elizabeth Benjamin tells the story in the Daily News on p2 today, DOPP DROPS OFF:   Suspended Spitzer aid leaves post for big lobbying firm.  Her lede:  Darren Dopp, the aide to Gov. Spitzer forced into exile by the Troopergate scandal, returns to work in Albany today but not on the public payroll."    

Charles Gasparino gave a detailed case against Dopp in an article that appeared in the Post on July 27, 2007, ELIOT’S M.O.: THEY FIGHT DIRTY. It reported about author of books about American businesses. He know works for CNBC. He was the Wall Street Journal and we use the first paragraph as the lede:

“Until recently, most of the elite media never got on Darren Dopp’s bad side - or, to be more precise, the bad side of his boss, Gov. Spitzer. I did, and because I did, I have something in common with Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno.”

The News is split.  Michael Goodwin finds the governor untruthful, but Bill Hammond has written a number of columns, one today, to the effect that the real villain in TrooperChopperGate is Senate majority leader Joseph Bruno, who has, according to Hammond, been misusing state planes and other public resources for years.  News editorials are much more sympathetic to the governor than the Post has been.

The Sun publishes an article by Jacob Gershman today: SOME IN G.O.P. MAY WANT SPITZER SCANDAL TO END.  A few State Senators expressed the anonymous wish to return to state business, feeling that TrooperChoppergate may have been milked for all it was worth.  It is possible public opinion may shift, if people feel that the Republicans are making too much of the incident, even though they doubt the governor's veracity and would prefer him to testify under oath.  But enough may be enough.

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