ALBANY — When he was sworn into office in 2007, state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli took the reins of a New York retirement fund tainted by a sprawling “pay-to-play” scheme that had engulfed his predecessor.
DiNapoli responded halfway into his inaugural term by taking formal steps to clamp down on the improper influence, including instituting a two-year ban on pension fund managers from doing work for the massive investment account if they had made a campaign contribution to a candidate for comptroller.
Nearly two decades later, another arguable loophole remains untouched: Law firms retained by DiNapoli’s office to represent the state retirement system in various litigation matters have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to his political campaign funds over the years…