Harry Wilson--whom just in case that name doesn't ring a bell for you, is running for New York State Comptroller--thinks that current state comptroller, Tom DiNapoli is devoid of ethics because the Speaker of the State Assembly hosted a fundraiser on his behalf. Wlison says this about it (via the Albany Times Union):

“If Mr. DiNapoli does not see this as wrong, the state is in worse shape than so many of us fear,” Wilson said. “It is unethical for a sitting state comptroller to use a legislative leader, whom he’s supposed to be overseeing, to raise campaign cash. Mr. DiNapoli is supposed to be a watchdog, not a lapdog. He must do the ethical thing and cancel this fundraiser, not rely on Mr. Silver or the other legislative leaders to raise campaign funds.”

At the risk of being uber-blunt, Harry's a dolt.  He's a dolt because he's running for an office that he's just demonstrated he knows nothing about.  And he's a dolt for not running his response by somebody that knows something about the office he desires.

Because if Harry had, he'd know that the state comptroller doesn't "oversee" the state legislature.  It just doesn't work like that in New York. Here are the duties of the state comptroller according to the State Constitution (Art. 5, Sec 1). Harry should read deeply--and then again.

Anyway, since Harry's got the big things all wrong, we gotta figure he's also botched the little ones. So let's take a cursory look at his website. 

Harry's website says he brings this to the table:

A Principled Approach to a Public Crisis
Last year, Harry agreed to serve on the President’s Auto Task Force – the group responsible for the overhaul of General Motors and Chrysler.

OK, so Harry served on the President's Auto Task Force, but he's not telling us about his boss on the Task Force.  He's not telling us because that guy's name is Steve Rattner. In fact, Rattner can't be found on Henry's entire site--even though Harry worked for him--and he hired Harry. Maybe it's because Rattner got caught with his hands in the cookie jar, and in this particular instance, he had his hands in the cookie jar called the NYS Common Retirement Fund.  Rattner's ex-business partners say this about all that:

“We wholly disavow the conduct engaged in by Steve Rattner, who hired the New York State Comptroller’s political consultant, Hank Morris, to arrange an investment from the New York State Common Retirement Fund. That conduct was inappropriate, wrong, and unethical.”

At least they said something; Harry isn't saying anything--just deleting him from his website. And Harry still wants sole control of that fund. Because he's got the good judgment to watch out for people like Steve Rattner. Is that what Harry's saying?

Here's some more about Harry's friends:

Harry played a wide variety of roles at four highly distinguished financial firms: Goldman Sachs, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, The Blackstone Group, and Silver Point Capital. At these firms, Harry employed a broad set of skills essential to the Comptroller’s role as sole trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund: building and developing a world-class investment team; making asset allocation decisions; assessing institutional investors and fund managers; and negotiating complex transactions.

Maybe so. But somebody really needs to ask Harry what he's actually produced, provided or built; you know, like a strip mall, circuit board or a loaf of bread. Mike Bloomberg built a business before running for mayor, Lew Lehrman had drug stores, what's Harry built besides spreadsheet columns and a fat tab at the Harvard Club?  Send us an email if you can figure that out.

And how about Harry citing Goldman and Blackstone as character references? Yet he talks ethical smack about Tom DiNapoli--one of the most honest people in Albany--and screws that up. Makes you really wonder about the "broad sense of skills" Harry's talking about. Maybe shilling default swaps and ARSs to gullible local governments and trust funds. Somebody should ask Harry how this all works--this job of his.  California sure wants to know, they're really pissed off because they think guys like Harry underwrote their bonds and then sold the same bonds short. Nice, right?

[And speaking of California, take a look at Meg Whitman's little Goldman problem out there.]

But maybe that's all Tom DiNapoli's fault too.

So we wonder. Does this mean that should Harry be elected, Goldman, Blackstone, etc. will be prohibited from doing any underwriting business or performing investment services for the state?  And that Harry won't accept campaign donations from any of these sources?  Just like his Rattner connection, Harry's not real clear on any of this.

Tomorrow: Harry Goes All Greek On Us