After reaching a plea deal late yesterday to resign and avoid jail time, Democratic state Comptroller Alan Hevesi will arrive this morning at the Albany County Judicial Center to plead guilty to a class E felony. Hevesi will also pose for a mug shot after he's booked and fingerprinted, an embarassing end after more than three decades in public service.
One political scientist noted to me late yesterday that while it was an abuse of power, Hevesi's assignment of state employees to help his sick wife, Carol, is a common misstep in political circles. The difference is Hevesi got caught. The spotlight was turned on him by an aggressive political challenger, Republican, J. Christopher Callaghan, and an equally aggressive Albany District Attorney, David Soares, who won office two years ago pledging to root out corruption.