But he vows that his drive will be no fleeting thing and will be aimed not at earlier patronage hirings but at corrupt, undisciplined and lazy officers.

It would establish modern, professional management of non-legislative affairs, along with sensible curbs on patronage hiring.

Aug. 5: Joseph DeVincenzo, the head of the Mayor's Talent Bank, is indicted on charges that he lied to a grand jury about the extent to which the office was used for patronage hiring.

The board has now been replaced by state trustees, who are facing a long, gritty trench war against the effects of years of patronage hiring, bad contract negotiations and bureaucratic intransigence.

PGW then implemented senior citizens discounts, generous municipal labor contracts and the expansion of patronage hiring.

That is because officials there entered a consent agreement in 1973 that bans firing for political reasons, and signed another agreement in 1983 that bans patronage hiring, except for policy positions.

In particular, the association is recommending changes to the lifetime tenure system that was started in 1909 to discourage patronage hiring.

Thus, more than in the past, patronage hirings are likely to fuel governmental growth.

In July 2005, a federal court-appointed monitor reported widespread abuses of a previous court decree against patronage hiring.

The staff exposed the existence of a secret court bank account, widespread patronage hiring and the use of court employees for private business.