Why We Need Jeanine Pirro for Statewide Office

Westchester County District Attorney, Jeanine Pirro placed an op-ed in yesterday's New York Post attacking the New York State Assembly for not moving on a civil-commitment law on sex offenders. The law has passed through the State Senate this year as well as last year, but is buried in the Lower House and not being brought to a vote.

Why?

Ms. Pirro writes: I asked members of the Assembly Mental Health Committee why the measure hadn't even been brought up for a vote. Their "answer": The mental-health system isn't "geared up" to handle all these sex offenders.

The assembly fears a flood of new cases on our system could disrupt the system. Probably something to do with "costs" rather than the safety of our children. I'm sure parents worry about costs over safety too, right?

To correct their stance as to not sound insensitive to a child's welfare, Ms. Pirro received another "answer":

Members of the Assembly committee gave me one other "explanation" for their failure to act on the Senate measure: We're working on our own bill.

Really? For five years?

Speaker Sheldon Silver has recently announced that "public hearings or public legislative roundtables" would be held at some as-yet-undetermined time in the future to discuss this legislation. Apparently, after five years, discussing action represents progress.

So it seems Speaker Silver wants more discussion in committee, which if you ask me, is simply a tactic of trying to find money within the system or through our tax dollars for his own self interests. Has there ever been more of a reason for State Office Term Limits?

I would like to know the position of our current Attorney General. Mr. Eliot Spitzer is too busy money grabbing Wall Street that he has been silent on this issue. If he hasn't been silent, he should be more vocal, because I haven't seen any press release on his position. You can find Mr. Spitzer's latest defeat in yesterday's New York Sun. It has nothing to do with child welfare.

We need strong candidates in 2006 and until Gov. Pataki let's us know his plans, the Republican Party sits idle and lets potential campaign issues for statewide candidates pass us by. Ms. Pirro is being asked by the NY GOP to challenge Sen. Clinton, but Ms. Pirro should simply ignore the pressure and publically announce her run for Attorney General. This is the role she's cut out for and this is the office she can certainly secure and win. Let one of the governor's people, like Sec. Randy Daniels run for US Senate. Sec. Daniels, in my opinion, is more cut out for representing New York in Washington and I wish chairman Stephen Minarik would see that.

We can only hope Ms. Pirro and reformers like Pat Manning can create a buzz and campaign on changing New York government. I can guarantee you Assemblyman Manning would get large grass roots support from Republicans in New York City and possibly Long Island, if he runs. There may not be a lot of registered Republicans in the NYC area, but a strong buzz downstate can definitely create a strong movement upstate.