New York music prof plans political corruption museum

Bruce Roter had the idea last summer to open the Museum of Political Corruption in Albany, New York. And he’s serious.

So far, it’s still in the planning and fund-raising stages.

The museum would be located in downtown Albany, within walking distance of the New York state capitol, according to the website.

“We have corruption here, why not use it as a resource?” Roter told the Record News.

He’s a music professor at the College of Saint Rose in Albany.

The mission of the museum would be “to present an entertaining and educational experience about corruption” and display the history of political corruption in New York state.

Roter is now looking for contributions to build the museum.

“I plan on pursuing this to a successful ending also,” he told the Record News. “I don’t have any illusions that it’s going to be a cakewalk, because it obviously has some controversial overtones.”

The museum will feature a “Hall of Shame” where the portraits of New York politicians convicted of corruption-related offenses will hang, the website says.

As to who gets into the Hall of Shame, that should be left to a panel of historians, the site says. Or,

There may be a balloting procedure much like the “Hall of Fame” and it will be interesting to see if politicians are disappointed if they don’t get in on the first ballot. 

There will also be a “Hall of Honor” for those individuals who fought against corruption, like former New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt, the site says.

Roter said the museum is needed and must be pursued.

His last big campaign “was to get a Trader Joe’s in the Capital Region, and he succeeded,” the Record News said.

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Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. He can be contacted here.