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By Hunter Walker 2/22/12 2:52pm

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Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. and his father, Frank, together in 2005. (Photo: NYS Assembly)

My Weekend With The Boylands

During the course of reporting this week’s cover story on William Boyland Jr., I spent over a month attempting to speak to the allegedly corrupt Assemblyman including sending emails, Facebook messages, multiple calls to his work number and personal cell phone and visits to his office in Albany, his district office in Brownsville and his home in Bedford Stuyvesant. I finally met Mr. Boyland last Saturday night in the lobby of the Hotel Albany where he was on hand for the annual New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus association weekend.

Upon seeing Mr. Boyland, who was handing his young son money to spend in the hotel gift shop, I immediately walked over, whipped out my audio recorder and introduced myself.

“I know who you are, you stopped by my house,” Assemblyman Boyland responded.

Mr. Boyland declined to discuss the pair of corruption trials against him, the bullets fired at his car last August, or the, at last count, 41 lawsuits filed against him by the State Board of Elections for his failure to file required campaign finance disclosures.

“You have a card or something? I’m not going to do any comment now. I’ll reach out when you get home OK?”

Even though I already left a card for Mr. Boyland on my visit to his house, I gave him another one. He never called.

Mr. Boyland didn’t have much to say to me, but his father, William Boyland Sr., who’s better known as Frank, was far more forthcoming. Read More

By Azi Paybarah 8/08/11 4:08pm

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Hugh Carey's 'Independent' Run for Mayor in '69

One more note about Hugh Carey’s political career.

The New York Times obit said Carey “ran for mayor of New York as an independent, angering Democratic Party leaders and prompting predictions of his political demise.”

Here, the term “independent” most likely refers to the fact that Carey ran as a Democrat, but not with support from the any notable part of the Democratic establishment; not that he ran as something other than a Democrat. Read More

By Azi Paybarah 8/08/11 12:43pm

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Governor Hugh Carey pictured with one of the new Hino buses in New York City, kicking the bus for emphasis. A number of buses were bought in 1981 to ease the strain on New York City's public transit. (via NYS archives. photographer not identified)

Hugh Carey's Departure from Congress and Chuck Schumer's Rise in D.C.

Before saving New York State, Hugh Carey served 14 years in congress representing part of Brooklyn.

The Democrat and Chronicle yesterday wrote that “Senator Charles E. Schumer was elected to Carey’s Congressional seat after Carey.”

Not exactly.

Carey gave up his seat in 1974, when he got elected governor. The person who replaced him was a man named Leo Zeferetti, a conservative Democrat from the Bay Ridge / Bensonhurst area. Schumer, in 1974, was elected to the State Assembly. Read More