"[1] He “became a millionaire after founding and then selling the Coradian Corporation, a company that sold telephone systems to private businesses and government agencies”.

[2] In 1966, Bruno was on the campaign staff of Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and from 1969 to 1974 he served as Special Assistant to Speaker of the Assembly Perry B. Duryea.

[4] Bruno, along with Governor George Pataki and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, was instrumental in passing a death penalty law in New York State in 1995.

[7] In the 10 years after the law was passed, New York's crime rate plummeted without ever seeing an execution, perhaps weakening public support for the death penalty.

[9] During the budget process in 1995, Bruno (who was new to the Majority Leader role at the time) made a comment about Blacks and Hispanics who "got their hands out" pressuring the legislature to avoid cuts to social services.

"[12] Bruno's defense was that he was referring to political caucuses, not all blacks and Hispanics; he offered a blanket apology for offending some people, but refused to take his words back.

[13] According to an editorial in The Buffalo News, Bruno pushed a bill through the Senate on June 27, 1995, that would have required girls under 16 years of age to obtain consent from both parents for an abortion.

[15] LGBT people and groups pushed very hard for SONDA,[16] and in late 2002, Bruno finally gave in;[17] the bill passed the Senate and was signed into law by Governor Pataki.

In addition, the Tri-City ValleyCats—a short-season minor-league affiliate of the Houston Astros—play in Joseph L. Bruno Stadium situated on the Troy-North Greenbush border.

[25] In April 2007, Bruno also appeared to hold veto power over two other Spitzer initiatives: gay marriage[27] and campaign finance reform.

[29] Bruno also criticized the Governor's plan to issue driver licenses to illegal immigrants, claiming it was aimed at stuffing the ballot box with Democratic voters.

[30] Bruno's position became more tenuous in February 2008 after the special election loss of the heavily Republican 48th District in Watertown, which had formerly been held by Sen. James W. Wright.

[32] At the direction of top officials of the Spitzer administration, the New York State Police created documents meant to cause political damage to Bruno.

[33] The governor's staff stated they were responding to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA or FOIL) request from the Albany Times Union in late June.

[32][34] A lengthy report issued by the Attorney General's office[35] concluded that Spitzer aides attempted to create negative media coverage concerning Bruno's travel before any Freedom of Information Act request was made.

Eliot L. Spitzer lied to prosecutors" about his role in Troopergate, but added that "the Albany County District Attorney said he will not pursue any criminal charges against the already disgraced ex-governor.

[66] In the memoir, Bruno reportedly made "a spirited defense" of Albany's "system of transactional politics and backroom dealing that he says generally worked".