CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

State Inspector General Ellen Biben's probe of New York Power Authority boss Richie Kessel -- first reported yesterday by Post State Editor Fredric U. Dicker -- couldn't be better timed.

As Gov. Cuomo pushes hard to reverse the culture of corruption that infests Albany politics, the last thing he needs is for folks to suspect hanky-panky at a major authority under his control.

On Friday, we called for just such a probe, after Attorney General Eric Schneiderman warned Kessel against handing out NYPA cash to politically influential pals, particularly those with ties to his Long Island base.

And the IG apparently is looking even beyond the areas we (and Schneiderman) have cited, having subpoenaed documents tied to dozens of no-bid contracts.
Smart. Make it as sweeping as possible.
After all, NYPA -- America's largest state-owned utility -- handles billions of dollars a year.

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