THE STENCH OF CORRUPTION STILL LEAKS FROM MASIELLO’S REGIME
Is anyone wondering why individuals like Joseph Giambra, Buffalo’s ex-Public Works Commissioner, isn’t going to jail for accepting ‘gifts’ from companies which the city awarded million dollar contracts to? The answer is simple and painful. Until Buffalo can rid itself of corrupt politicians and unethical people who are really in control, thieves like Joe Giambra have no fear of punishment. He really is a small wart of the face of corruption in Buffalo.
Giambra should be given jail time for accepting what he says were only 8 gifts of free pleasure trips. In reality it appears he took more than 20 trips. There were so many other talented people who could have done an excellent job in that position without taking bribes gifts from vendors, but that isn’t the way corruption works.
Mr. Giambra was paid well but he appreciated that in this position he could collect more than his paycheck. He could collect other pleasurable things from vendors who wanted to do business in Buffalo. He grasped the concept that if he was caught he could avoid the pain of going to jail because he could bring down the Masiello administration’s house of cards.
Joe is a white collar criminal. He willingly followed the orders of the Masiello regime leaders, never questioning their decisions about his department. This was his ticket into the world of fraud. The criminal element could move about with more confidence knowing they had a slave on their docket. All they needed to do was to buy Giambra off and it appears they did so by offering trips and whatever else goes along with pleasure trips.
Giambra’s arrest and guilty plea to accepting 8 free trips from contractors indicates possible cracks in the wall of corruption in Buffalo. His crime should earn him at least two years in lock up. Most likely Mr. Giambra has made a deal with the DA. He may have agreed to give the DA information on other thieves in local government. This action may have afforded him a “Stay Out of Jail” card.
In the near future more members of one the most corrupt administrations in the history of Buffalo may come to light. We may witness more weasels telling how they tore the guts out of Buffalo.