Democrats accuse Rob Astorino of pay-to-play in report
ALBANY - GOP gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino, the county executive in Westchester, received $907,669 in campaign donations from dozens of companies that got county contracts, according to a report to be released Tuesday.
The 47 companies, their principals, and subsidiaries that gave to Astorinos campaigns since 2009 received a combined 236 contracts worth $709 million, the report by the state Democratic party reveals.
Astorino has been critical of Gov. Cuomo for presiding over what he calls Albanys pay-to-play culture. He recently issued a 100-page report detailing $2.7 million in donations Cuomo received since 2010 from companies that won a combined $7.2 billion in state contracts.
The Democrats on Monday branded Astorino a hypocrite.
"From the perch of his glass house, pay-to-play Republican Rob Astorino likes to scold others about fund-raising practices he has been the poster child for, state Democratic spokesman James Freedland said.
Astorino spokeswoman Jessica Proud denied any pay-to-play, saying that county contracts are competitively bid and must also be approved unanimously by a county board that includes the Democratic chairman of the Board of Legislators.
He doesnt unilaterally approve anything on his own, Proud said.
Among the contributions to Astorino highlighted in the report is $59,550 from the lawyers at Bleakley Platt & Schmidt, which received $8.65 million in county contracts.
The accounting firm of OConnor Davies Munns & Dobbins, which has $2.8 million in county contracts, contributed $30,550 to Astorinos campaigns.
And Astorino received $95,000 from those with ties to Sustainable Playland Inc., Astorinos preferred operator of Playland Amusement Park in Rye, which stepped away earlier this year after two years of legal and political battles.
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Democrats accuse Rob Astorino of pay-to-play in report