Gov. Cuomo Appoints New Head For Troubled Ethics Board

ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo is replacing the chairwoman of the troubled state ethics board he created more than a year ago.

Cuomo said lawyer Daniel Horwitz, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan, will take over from Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore as head of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics.

Cuomo says DiFiore is being replaced because she's running for re-election as Westchester's top prosecutor.

DiFiore presided over the first 16 months of the commission's existence after Cuomo pushed an ethics enforcement overhaul in Albany.

So far, the commission has been criticized for its secrecy and lack of action against powerful targets.

Earlier this month, federal prosecutors accused several state lawmakers of corruption and bribery.

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