Who is County Chairman No. 1?

Golden asks feds to release name

April 10, 2013 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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The criminal complaint filed by US Attorney Preet Bharara against state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) and Councilman Daniel Halloran (R-Queens) includes a tantalizing reference to a Republican Party county leader referred to simply as “County Chairman #1.” The person is referred to in the complaint four times as someone who dealt with both Smith and Halloran. But he is not named.

State Sen. Marty Golden (R-C-Bay Ridge-southern Brooklyn) said he would like the mystery person’s name to be revealed.

Golden has written to Bharara to request that ‘County Chairman #1” be unmasked.

“As a Republican elected official within the city of New York, I respectfully request the release of the name of County Chairman #1 described in sealed complaint 13 MAG 852 sections 48, 49, 50 and 70,” Golden wrote in his April 9 letter.

“Descriptions within the sealed complaint raise serious questions concerning the integrity of said County Chairman. Although this individual has not been indicted, I believe the 300,000 plus members and hundreds of activists within the City’s Republican Party require the publication of such information to allow them to determine if said individual should remain a leader within the Republican Party,” Golden wrote.

“Beyond the Republican Party, the public’s trust in the political system is already greatly shaken and would benefit from the release of this information and by said individual’s resignation,” Golden wrote.

Smith and Halloran were arrested last week on federal bribery and corruption charges. Bronx Republican County Chairman Jay Saving and Queens GOP vice chairman Vincent Tabone were also taken into custody in connection with an alleged plot to bribe Republican Party officials into allowing Smith, a Democrat, run for mayor o New York City on the GOP line.

A spokeswoman for Bharara told the Brooklyn Daily Eagle that the US attorney had no comment on Golden’s request.