New York’s Public Integrity Commission is calling on Gov. David Paterson to pay the maximum $96,375 fine for soliciting free tickets from the Yankees to Game 1 of last year’s World Series.
The five tickets, which were not available to the general public, cost $425 each. Paterson paid for them once the flap became public, reports the New York Daily News.
“The governor is supposed to set the ethical standard by which all state employees should conduct themselves,” special counsel Jeff Schlanger said. “I submit that he has sadly and widely missed the mark.”
Former Paterson aide Peter Kauffmann testified that he was rebuked when he advised Paterson and his aide David Johnson to pay for the tickets and avoid a media firestorm.
Paterson intentionally misled the commission about his intention to pay for the tickets, Schlanger said. A hearing officer will likely take a few weeks to issue a recommendation on whether the governor should be fined.
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