The Times profiles Hank Morris and provides some background on the pension scandal gripping New York.

Though fleeting, Mr. Morris’s work about 10 years ago for Bear, the now-defunct Wall Street investment house, offers an early, inside glimpse of how he became a pre-eminent practitioner of the art of access capitalism. Over the years, his public profile was that of a leading New York campaign consultant — a guru sought after by marquee Democrats nationwide. But below the radar, Mr. Morris increasingly gravitated toward more lucrative activities, parlaying his political relationships to bolster a portfolio of private business interests.