‘Earlier this year, Environmental Advocates (EA), along with several other groups, issued a well documented "report card" on Governor Pataki’s environmental record. As in most areas of his failed administration, his environmental conduct was poor, rating bad in 59 of 78 areas surveyed, and good in only nine. Although the report was relegated to the back pages of the press, it was politically devastating .
‘In response, Pataki, during one of his rare visits to Albany, called the executive director of EA into his office and threw a tantrum in her presence, yelling at her and making vague threats. He ended this extraordinary scene by insisting that as retaliation he would never speak to any of them ever again.
‘Six weeks later, in response to this report, to intense public criticism, and pressure from Republican Party bosses that he "appear more green," Pataki presented the state with a hastily drafted Bond Act, and has been forced to consult with EA and other environmental groups. Mr. Jones feels that, in the end, issuing the report was very much worth all of the ruckus it caused. "I learned," he said, "that you should always tell the truth."’