© 2024
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Common Cause: LG Benjamin's arrest shows need for reform

NYS screengrab
Brian Benjamin is sworn in as lieutenant governor in Sept. 2021

The arrest Tuesday of New York Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin as part of a federal bribery investigation is renewing calls for an ethics overhaul in state government. Albany in the last decade has seen the resignation of a governor, the arrests of multiple legislative leaders on corruption charges, and concerns that the recently scrapped Joint Commission on Public Ethics was compromised to a fault. Benjamin, a Democrat, has pleaded not guilty. But Sarah Goff — deputy director of good government group Common Cause — tells WAMC’s Ian Pickus the charges are serious.

A lifelong resident of the Capital Region, Ian joined WAMC in late 2008 and became news director in 2013. He began working on Morning Edition and has produced The Capitol Connection, Congressional Corner, and several other WAMC programs. Ian can also be heard as the host of the WAMC News Podcast and on The Roundtable and various newscasts. Ian holds a BA in English and journalism and an MA in English, both from the University at Albany, where he has taught journalism since 2013.
Related Content