Should Comptroller Alan Hevesi resign?

[rklenseth]

New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi has recently come under fire for using state resources to drive his very ill wife around without getting permission or reimbursing New York State to transport to and from unofficial and private business matters.

[Phalynx]

Sorry dude, need more details.. like WTF is a comptroller?

[Sho]

In New York State "comptroller" is just jargon for the state treasurer, though in general a comptroller is the person in charge of keeping track of cash flows - sort of like the chief accountant. New York is funny with its political nomenclature - the high courts are also confusingly named.

Hevesi is a relatively well-known person in New York - he was comptroller and a mayoral candidate in New York City.

[Phalynx]

Thanks Sho...

Yeah he should resign, I'm sure he is reasonably well paid, and its surely it's his job given, what you say, to know about financial regulations in regard to such matters...

[rklenseth]

Well it looks like Hevesi and Callaghan (the guy running against him in the election) are having a debate tomorrow on the news channels I work for.

[SekoETC]

Sure people do stuff when their wife is sick. But if he's a big wig then surely he should have enough money to pay for the ride from his own pocket. So it's stealing.

[Jos Elkink]

He shuold just pay back and say sorry ...

[Phalynx]

Before making the judgment it would be nice to know how he dealth with people beneath him making similar 'errors'...

[Jos Elkink]

You make life too complicated, Phalynx - you should just read the main headlines and then come to a firm judgment

[Elros]

Sure people do stuff when their wife is sick. But if he's a big wig then surely he should have enough money to pay for the ride from his own pocket. So it's stealing.

It would be steailing even if he didn't have the money. Stealing is taking something that isn't yours, and appearantly that is what he did.

He should definetly resign. We do not want someone running the treasury that can't even refrain from stealing themselves.

[Phalynx]

You make life too complicated, Phalynx - you should just read the main headlines and then come to a firm judgment

I'll take that as a compliment (and I don't want to know if it isn't )

I'm assuming if he is having a debate with someone that his career future will be decided by good old democracy - IE if his smile is nicer than the other guys, he looks repentant and he doesn't say something silly he will keep his job...

[SekoETC]

Stealing is stealing, alright. But I think a poor person has more of a right to steal if the world is so cruel-hearted that they won't give him enough support to get a sick relative taken to the doctor's. While as a rich person only steals so that they would have more money left on having fun and looking successful and buying all sorts of crap.

[rklenseth]

[quote="Phalynx"][quote="Jos Elkink"]You make life too complicated, Phalynx - you should just read the main headlines and then come to a firm judgment :)[/quote]

I'll take that as a compliment (and I don't want to know if it isn't :D )

I'm assuming if he is having a debate with someone that his career future will be decided by good old democracy - IE if his smile is nicer than the other guys, he looks repentant and he doesn't say something silly he will keep his job... :roll:[/quote]

Yes and no. He is still on the ballot (this can't be changed because it is so close to the election) and says he won't resign but there is movement in the state Senate to impeach him and the polls say that people are pretty pissed off by this but it is still pretty even as far as the election polls go (which is pretty big since Hevesi was suppose to win in a landslide) so I don't voters have decided yet whether or not they want to reelect Hevesi (even though he'll most likely get impeached by the Senate) or if they're going to go with Callaghan who isn't exactly the better choice either. So it is pretty much a lose lose situation.

[Phalynx]

Well If they are going to impeach him, it sounds like it would make a whole heap of sense to do it before the election and save themselves the cash and hassle that second election would then require... or postpone the election...

Forgive me if I am making too much sense... it will pass!

[rklenseth]

They have to go through the process first which will take longer than an election and we're only a week away from that.