The hits keep coming: Eight times found guilty were former state Senate chieftain Dean Skelos and his ne’er-do-well son Adam in a replay of their 2015 trial, which showed Dean leaned on companies to pay Adam for no-show jobs.
Off to prison with them. Too bad the judge can’t sentence those remaining in Albany to reform their criminal ways exposed in the Skelos retrial. And the Shelly Silver retrial. And the first-run trials and convictions of Gov. Cuomo pal Joe Percoco and economic development guru Alain Kaloyeros.
The four corruption trials by Manhattan federal prosecutors — thank you, Preet Bharara — will lock up skells, but nothing has changed in the rotten Capitol.
No change in the fact that lawmakers can rake in unlimited outside income and virtually unlimited campaign contributions, including from shell corporations.
No real controls on doling out taxpayer dollars to companies and nonprofits seeking to cozy up with powerful pols.
Since reform depends on the very characters who need reforming, change never comes no matter how many are carted away in chains. All that’s left to try is a voter revolt. Anyone?
