Election Commissioner Says Assemblyman Walking Fine Line “Dabbling In Lawyering”‘

JAMESTOWN – County Elections Chairman Norman Green used his personal Facebook page to rip a political system that he says allowed Assemblyman Andy Goodell to be involved in closing the Cockaigne Ski Resort deal.

Green posted on Thursday that the closing of the deal was “an absolute case study as to why our state legislators need to be full-time and not dabbling in lawyering on the side.”

“Certainly Andy Goodell didn’t do anything wrong, but we’re not well served when our full-time legislators are not full-time,” said Green when reached by phone.

Green used State Senator Cathy Young as an example of a full-time politician who he said doesn’t give off the impression she’s doing  anything wrong.

He said that he doesn’t believe that Goodell was breaking the law by working to close the Cockaigne deal, but he did add that every New York Legislator who’s been indicted was involved in something other than politics on the side.

In 2015, an article in an upstate newspaper backed up Green’s assertion. The report listed more than 40 New York Lawmakers who have been indicted dating back to 2003.

“It has nothing to do with Andy, but when you have his name involved with a client who comes before the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency seeking $500,000, I mean he (Goodell) certainly brings great influence for a paid State Legislator.”

WNY News Now did reach out to Assemblyman Andy Goodell to get his thoughts on Green’s comments.

“It is not surprising that Norm Green does not have his facts straight,” Goodell said via email.

“As correctly reported by The Post-Journal at the end of the article, Attorney John Gullo (former Democratic County Legislator) represented the buyers, who sought and obtained an IDA loan,” he said. “I never represented the buyers. Perhaps, if Norm Green read the entire article, he would understand all the facts.”