Marty Golden Fires Back After Being Accused Of Impersonating Police Officer
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – It's been a tough week for one Brooklyn state senator.
First, a bicyclist accused him of impersonating a police officer. That lead to reports of unpaid traffic violations and new interest in an old traffic incident.
On Friday, Marty Golden spoke with CBS2's Tony Aiello and fired back at his critics.
"We tried to get away from him. He was aggressive and he followed us for 30 blocks," he said, flatly denying any wrongdoing in his Monday confrontation with safe streets activist Brian Howald.
"He said to me, 'I'm a police officer, pull over.' And at the same time with his right hand, waved a placard at me," Howald told CBS2's Hazel Sanchez after the incident.
It happened in a bike lane, where Howald has a history of busting drivers who interfere with bicyclists, as documented on his Twitter feed. Howald posted photos of Golden, who is a retired cop and says he did nothing improper.
Golden: "To say this is not some type of cyclist road rage is beyond."
Aiello: "Did you claim to be a police officer during the encounter?"
Golden: "I did not, and that is ridiculous."
Howald's claim led to headlines about Golden – multiple unpaid tickets from speed cameras near schools and a 2005 accident that critically injured a pedestrian. Golden's insurance company settled with her family after she died.
"We were at a light, the light changed, we started to proceed through the light, and the woman walked into our car," he said. "It was discovered the woman had stomach cancer, and that contributed to her death."
Golden told Aiello "it's sad" the 12-year-old case was brought back up.
He also said it's all about politics. He's a Republican representing a district in Brooklyn that Democrats have their eyes on.
One challenger who wants his seat is Ross Barkan.
"Marty Golden is unfit to be a state senator. His actions were disgraceful. He menaced a cyclist, he pretended to be a police officer," said Barkan.
The election is 11 months away, but the gloves are already off.
A city database shows numerous unpaid traffic violations attached to Golden's license plate. The state senator says the database must be out of date, insisting he's paid all his tickets.
