Feds to take Summer Off in Westchester Political Corruption Probe?

I will be the first to admit that I have been off in my predictions on when indictments would finally be handed down in the three-year investigation of political corruption in Westchester. I have received several false alarms from my sources.

The biggest factor in no movement in these cases is the fact that there is no U.S. Attorney yet confirmed by the U.S. Senate. President Obama has nominated Preet Bharara, an Indian-American lawyer who is also N.Y. Senator Chuck Schumer’s chief counsel.

Bharara’s ties to Schumer and his Harvard pedigree will get him easily confirmed in the U.S. Sentate, but when is anybody’s guess. One of the many files waiting on his desk is the Westchester corruption probe.

It will be up to Bharara to decide what to do with the case, and until he gets confirmed, nothing will happen; this could easily stretch through the summer and into September.

So we all have to wait some more.

Another tidbit we hear is that there is someone among us in Westchester politics who flipped and gave the Feds evidence, and has now returned to Westchester and is doing business as usual.

Any suspects?

Some Dems Refusing to Carry Andy Spano Petitions: Idoni vs. Morabito Double Dip?

Here’s the latest election / petition news we have been hearing:

Some Democrats in lower Westchester, are refusing and/or complaining about carrying petitions for County Executive Andy Spano. We hear that a few Dems carrying for Spano were critiqued by homeowners and property owners about sky-high property taxes, focusing their blame on Andy.

Now while these few Dems will have no impact on Spano’s petition drive, which will put him way over the top of signatures needed, its worthy of a post for two reasons.

1) Andy’s campaign runs a tight ship and they do not appreciate any signs of disloyalty to the big Westchester Dem — Andy — and they are not happy with the defections, howevery few they are.

2) It highlights the growing discontent among Westchester taxpayers feel about their government, and the cost to them and their families.

Idoni/Morabito Double Dip?

Westchester County Clerk Tim Idoni will face a challenge from former Rye Supervisor Robert Morabito in November. Morabito, a Democrat, got the Republican line to challenge Idoni from County GOP Chairman Doug Colety. Colety has been criticized of late on this blog for not helping deliver the Independence Party line for a lot of his Republican candidates across the county.

Giving the GOP line to a Dem Morabito, is another Colety choice that we hear rumblings about from our Republican friends, who wonder why Colety gave the line for a countywide office to a Dem. Wasn’t there any Republican in the county willing to run for county clerk?

Morabito is now attempting to get on the Democratic line for county clerk, which would result in a Democratic Primary between Idoni and Morabito.

Here’s where it gets interesting:

Morabito is circulating a petition, that has his name on it for county clerk, but also Tony Castro’s name for district attorney.

Castro is challenging DA Janet DiFiore; both Castro and DiFiore are Dems and are headed to a Democratic Primary in September, with the winner facing Republican Dan Schorr in November.

Castro has the support of the Independence Party and its county chairman, Dr. Giulio Cavallo. Cavallo has been twisting the arms of Democrats who he gave his Ind line to to collect  Dem signatures for Tony Casto. Cavallo has jumped into bed with Sam Zherka, Guardian publisher and admitted target of a Manhattan DA criminal probe. 

So a partnership between Castro and Morabito is upon us, with Cavallo and Zherka pushing behind the scenes.

We hear that both Castro and Morabito will have enough signatures to get on the ballot, which would give us two Democratic countywide primaries in September — DiFiore vs. Castro and Idoni vs. Morabito.