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A black-eye for Albany.

The significance of Joe Bruno’s conviction on 2 counts of corruption of power will be known next year after the legislature does, or does not, pass ethics reform.

The charismatic former Senate Majority Leader was done in by what boils down to this:

Accepting money from several companies run by his friend and Loudonville (fancy Albany bedroom community) businessman Jared Abbruzzese in exchange for really doing… nothing.

Again, this from the Albany Times Union’s Rob Gavin:

Abbruzzese noted the senator appeared at swanky dinners in New York City as a consultant and introduced Abbruzzese to celebrities — including Donald Trump — to help him with possible development of golf courses in Florida.

Prosecutors had another view: that Bruno’s employment with Abbruzzese was nothing but an influence-peddling scheme, and that the senator was effectively being paid gifts.

They noted Abbruzzeze had helped found the Troy-based Evident Technologies, which was earlier approved for $500,000 in state grants through Bruno.

Just how easy is it in Albany to mix business & political influence?   Today we will speak with Glenn Blain of the New York Daily News about the trial, the verdict, the March 2010 conviction and the great question of Albany’s future. 

Dean David Rubin of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School joins me to discuss how the media are covering issues in Albany.  What letter grade to we deserve?

And our series on gas drilling continues, this time we hear from the drillers’ perspective with Brad Gill, the head of the  Oil & Gas Association of NYS.

It’s all coming up on The Capitol Pressroom.   Listen on-line or on-the-air.