Key Council Members Paid Off By Bloomberg

The City Council's vote is still a week or two away on term limits, but the influencing of certain member's votes started way before they sat for the two day public forum at the end of last week. Of all the NYC papers, the Post is running a damning article today on how the Mayor has sought to buy off key votes in City Hall so that he can run for a third term. So who are our representatives that Mayor Mike thinks he can purchase for the right price?

From The NY Post:

Five members of the committee secured $3.1 million from the $5.3 million stash in Bloomberg's 2008 budget. Only three other council members received funds from the mayor in the last year. Two are Republicans, and the third, Councilman James Vacca, received a considerably smaller amount, $20,000, than the other beneficiaries.

Government Operations Committee chairman Simcha Felder (Brooklyn) received $1.9 million from the mayor's fund, far more than any of his council colleagues. He has received funds from Bloomberg's fund every year since 2003, in which time the allocations have doubled. It is widely believed Felder supports a term-limits change.

Fellow committee members Domenic Recchia, Helen Sears, Erik Dilan and Peter Vallone Jr. each received between $50,000 and $625,000 from the mayor's fund..

"I think it's obvious that Bloomberg was trying to curry favor here. What else are discretionary funds for?" said one councilman against extending term limits. "Term limits is the most important issue out there, period . . . I think this is one way he laid the groundwork."

Will three million dollars do the trick for Bloomberg? So far the money he directed towards the several members has paid off. The separate enticements for Christine Quinn have already done wonders for a possible third term. Since he has already declared a willingness to spend $80 million on a re-election campaign, there is no reason to doubt that he has a problem giving discretionary spending on the understanding that said members will help him to run for Hizzoner for the third time next year.

The Mayor has already crossed the line of having no interest in the people's will when they enacted term limits in 1993 and 1996. Now it is time to see if the Council is willing to shame itself as well. Members will be judged individually in the end, but the majority vote has the power to either tarnish City Hall or show its strength against a Mayor with a sick lust for power.