In case you’ve wondered what the Village Voice (the once paragon of avant-garde arts journalism, and old- timey print ads for low-rent transvestite prostitutes) has been up to since the heady days of Norman Mailer – well, they’re blowing the lid off Bay Ridge catering, that’s what!

In a scathing investigative report – only disguised as a lazy hit ‘n’ run job on the State Senator from Bay Ridge – the Voice combs through pages and pages of public finance records to uncover secret shady accounting practices behind Senator Marty Golden’s ownership interests in local “chicken or fish” caterer, the ‘Bay Ridge Manor.’

Most shockingly, that despite selling it to a family member years ago, he still retains an ownership interest in the real estate!

Oh, and get this, he runs unopposed in our district as well! Apparently because we’re the only district to ever gerrymander anyone – ever!

Some of the Voice’s gotcha moments include:

Since Golden won election to the senate in 2002, he has spent $205,000 of his campaign cash to host shindigs of one type or another at his former haunt, the records show. Much of the spending has come in a binge over the last 19 months—a period when there hasn’t been even a whisper of an electoral challenge to the three-term senator. Despite that, since January 2007, Golden has spent more than $115,000 at his former catering hall for some 30 separate events…. By any stretch, that’s a lot of stuffed shells and chicken parm.

What makes it even more noteworthy is that every time Golden’s campaign writes a check to the company, it goes into very friendly hands… Golden didn’t have to hunt for a buyer: His brother bought it. Also, according to Golden’s disclosure report with the state Legislative Ethics Commission, his wife Colleen serves as the catering hall’s business administrator. And the Bay Ridge Manor’s landlord? That would be Golden himself, who lists full ownership of the three-story red-brick building with the green-colored awnings on his filings.

So is this campaign catering splurge a convenient way of pumping money into a family-owned business?

According to the Voice, Golden’s chief of staff, John Quaglione, is quoted as saying: “Bay Ridge Manor? That’s the topic?”

Seriously!

(Photo courtesy: Village Voice)