Let me start today's column from the end instead of the beginning.

I have no problem at all with New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer using the state police to investigate and report on someone who is reasonably suspected of wrong-doing. That's what police agencies are for: pursuing suspects.

What I have a huge problem with is state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno mis-using state helicopters, vehicles and employees to raise campaign funds. Even though Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has said that neither Bruno nor Spitzer's staff were guilty of breaking any laws, Bruno's behavior is unethical, to say the least, and deserves further investigation.

No politician can consider himself to be so far above the rest of us that he can do whatever he wants without bearing any responsibility for his actions. Somebody needs to send a message to Albany that no politician owns our state government. It belongs to us, the people of New York. Our representatives are there at our pleasure to serve us, not the other way around.

I'm not saying that Bruno is all bad and Spitzer is all good. It's not who's right but what's right. In this case Bruno and Spitzer's actions are not equal. That's like saying that a suspected wrong-doer and the investigator assigned to the case are somehow equally under suspicion. We, the taxpayers, must be vigilant and hold our elected officials to a high standard of ethical conduct.

Let's not fall prey to the Bill Clinton-era way of thinking, which says that it doesn't matter what kind of person you are or how you conduct yourself; it doesn't really affect how you do your job. A person's character is a part of everything he does; especially with elected officials. To think otherwise only invites chaos. And for all the good that Joe Bruno may have done for his constituents, it seems that he has gotten off track and needs to be brought back into line.

And that's not just for the voters of New York but for Joe Bruno, himself. As an example, Bruno has raised a fuss about our being informed about how our state vehicles and employees are being used by our politicians. Is he serious? How did we allow things to get this far?

Look, nobody can begrudge Joe Bruno for being an active participant in the political process. If he or any other office-holder wants to attend campaign rallies and fund-raisers, go ahead. But use your own privately owned vehicles and pay your own employees to assist you. Don't do it with our tax dollars. To act otherwise indicates that Bruno's power has swelled to such proportions that he has lost his moral bearings.

When something so clearly wrong is considered to be clearly right, there's a problem. If it's true that no laws have been broken then we should pass some new laws. Our taxes should never be used for the personal gain of any elected official.

Judy Ducayne's column appears Tuesdays in The Citizen, and she can be contacted at

sacredheart6005@hotmail.com