The Family Ties That Bind

It has been said that sons pay for the sins of their fathers. For Geraldine Ferraro, different family ties have been the source of public embarrassment and political decline. Almost as soon as Ferraro’s historic campaign for the vice presidency began two years ago, her husband John Zaccaro came under fire for questionable business practices as a real estate broker. Until now, Zaccaro had escaped serious charges and penalties, if not the ignominy of national exposure. Last week, however, a Queens, N.Y., grand jury, reportedly investigating a bribery scheme, handed up a sealed indictment against him. Whatever the outcome of the criminal case, Ferraro, who could once envision becoming the first female President of the U.S., may have a hard time winning any public office again.

“There’s an awful lot of sympathy for her,” said Connecticut Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly, a former colleague of Ferraro’s. “A lot of us wish we could turn back the hands of time for Gerry. She was a very happy, very productive member of the House a few years ago.” Despite the landslide defeat of the Mondale-Ferraro ticket, the three-term Queens Congresswoman remained one of the Democratic Party’s bright lights. But late last year she declined to run for a U.S. Senate seat, perhaps fearing more allegations about her family’s financial dealings. Says Edward McCarthy, a Queens Democrat: “She’s an innocent bystander who’s been run down by a car.”

The latest Zaccaro controversy stems from investigations into municipal corruption in New York City. According to a source familiar with the case, the grand jury heard testimony that in 1981 Zaccaro was recruited to use his influence with then Queens Borough President Donald Manes to win a franchise for a local cable TV company. Later, Zaccaro allegedly requested a $1 million fee to guarantee delivery of the contract. Manes committed suicide in March after being linked to a separate bribery case, and the grand jury was investigating whether the million dollars was intended to buy influence with Manes or other city officials.

Zaccaro, who had his real estate license temporarily suspended last year for impropriety, has denied any wrongdoing and says he and his wife are “enraged” over his indictment. “To go through something like this . . . is not easy,” he said. “I think we’ve been pushed around enough.” It has been a rough year indeed for the family. In February, John Jr., 22, was arrested and charged with selling cocaine to an undercover policeman in Middlebury, Vt., where he was attending college. He is awaiting trial.

Ferraro, who would not comment on her family’s latest troubles, has become understandably bitter about the turn of events. “If God had shown me a videotape of what the next few months would be like,” she wrote last year, she would have declined the Democratic nomination. “I didn’t know then the personal agony that lay ahead. An agony that at times would seem almost unbearable.” Sadly, for the former candidate and her family, the anguish could grow even worse.