Spin Cycle

For former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, the announcement was upbeat.

"Senator Alfonse D'Amato is pleased to officially announce that Erie County Executive Joel A. Giambra will be joining Park Strategies, LLC as a Managing Director effective January 1, 2008. Giambra will be heading up the firm's new Buffalo office and will be focused on providing strategic advice to companies in the Western New York area."

But the arc of Giambra's public career received a poignant description a few days back in this Buffalo News piece.

The story quotes Nassau Executive Tom Suozzi saying: "Joel had his share of problems at home... but he was very effective at pointing out problems with state government and the culture of Albany, and how that affected local governments in a negative way.”

Dan Janison

Here's a bit more on former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato standing in for Rudy Giuliani in debate rehearsals with his preferred candidate, Fred Thompson.

"Senator D’Amato plays Mayor Giuliani very well, whether it’s his speech or his actions or his persona," said a Thompson aide.

It wasn’t always like this between Rudy and Al. Perhaps their most famous made-for-the-camera moment together came in the 1980s, when they donned undercover gear...

Craig Gordon

Former Sen. Al D'Amato, who has famously butted heads in the past with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, has been acting as the "stand-in" for the GOP frontrunner in debate rehearsals conducted by the campaign of Fred Thompson, whom the famous Long Island Republican supports for president. The richness of this moment was not lost on Sam Roberts of the Times, who provides the context here.

Former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato has mastered the art of playing his cards right, in more ways than one...

Call him Alfonse the Horse.

Nassau Off-Track Betting Corp. has given former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato a six-month, $48,000 lobbying contract to help the betting agency navigate the pending bidding war for control of New York’s tracks and the possible placement of video lottery terminals at local tracks such as Belmont. The D’Amato firm Park Strategies also employs Anthony Cancellieri, a former top aide to Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi.

The $315-million-a-year betting agency signed up the firm Dec. 13 for $8,000 a month with a 30-day cancellation clause. Dino Amoroso, Nassau OTB president, said D’Amato has been “very effective so far,” and he intends to extend the contract another six months when it expires in mid-June. That would bring the bill to $96,000 for the year.

Rick Brand

UPDATE -- John Pappas, spokesman for the Poker Players' Alliance, vigorously denies Pokerhelper's story. There is no such bonus in store for D'Amato or anyone else involving the legislation, he said.

Former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato -- who's been known to play a few hands with friends, associates and lobbyists -- became a leading advocate for on-line poker, as our Reid J. Epstein first reported last month.

Now comes word from our friends at pokerhelper.com that D'Amato's in line for a $5 million bonus if he succeeds in getting online poker "carved out" of legislation that cracks down on online gambling.