New Yorkers during the Pataki and Spitzer years will recall the disproportionate influence of “three men in a room” to determine state policy. Keep Swinging : a memoir of politics and justice invites readers into that room with Joe Bruno, New York Senate Majority Leader from 1994 to 2008. Beginning with his youth in Glens Falls, Senator Bruno describes the experiences that shaped his 32-year career in state government. Several chapters recount specific “horse trading” sessions with Assemblyman Sheldon Silver and the Governor’s office as they negotiated the State’s budget. The final chapters of the book address the senator’s 2008 retirement, and the controversial prosecution he faced for honest services fraud. Joe Bruno, a Korean War veteran, died in October 2020 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
The Library is grateful to our colleague Neil Campbell of Mental Hygiene Legal Service not only for the generous donation of this memoir, but for graciously accepting the request to provide the book review!
