MTA Money Goes Where Politics Dictates, Not By Necessity

While we wait to see if the Senate can sort itself out before a judge does, let's take a look at how Albany's culture of corruption affects the M.T.A. Of course it was only last month when the state legislature stepped in at the last moment to save the public from 25% fare increases and leaving a 10% rise in it's place. It seemed as if they saved the day by increasing payroll taxes and tolls but what was not mentioned is the slush fund legislators have access to that was inserted into the mix. How those extra millions were spent speaks to how our dysfunctional capitol works.

From The NY Daily News:

State lawmakers have spent some $240 million on pet transit projects through a slush fund that has helped suburban rail riders far more than city straphangers, the Daily News has learned.

State legislators have directed approximately $190 million from the Customer Service Reserves to expand parking, renovate stations and make other upgrades along Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road lines, an MTA breakdown shows.

Only $50 million or so of the reserves has gone toward NYC Transit subway projects, the data show, even though subway ridership dwarfs commuter train ridership.

Why does NYC get so little, and why didn't we know about it? Gene Russianoff of N.Y.P.I.R.G. and the Straphangers campaign explains how that goes, along with a knock at the Senate's new "transparent" website:

It has gone unchallenged because the reserves are distributed in secrecy by majority leaders in the Assembly and Senate.

"It's not up on a Web site or enumerated in a capital plan," Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign said. "It's only by rooting around and incredible persistence you get this information, and it's wrong."

It is wrong, and it is indicative of the vast amount of corruption and mismanagement in our state's government. If the Assembly and Senate actually worked for the people that elected them, the money would be diverted proportionately. As we can see by the events of the State Senate in the last week, the cares and concerns of the people are the last thing on the minds of far too many legislators.

More To Quinn Than Her Smile

This mini-documentary by Donny Moss (YouTube has a ten minute limit) comprehensively covers Speaker Christine Quinn in a way that few have done before. We all remember her tainted by the slush fund scandal, but nothing ever came of it. It wasn't too long ago that gay men were being falsely arrested by vice-cops and Quinn was nowhere to be seen. And don't get me started on term limits. There are many issues that Quinn will not bring up to support her candidacy for a third term, but Donny Moss does.



Update [6/9 12pm]: Unfortunately, it seems that Robert Pinter has something to say about his unwilling participation in the documentary. While it blows a hole in that part of the argument against Quinn, the rest of it still stands.

Santa Has Nothing On The NY City Council

Once a year, depending on whether you were naughty or nice, Santa comes to bestow presents on millions of children. His red suit is always clean and the reindeer are strong enough for the long haul, but he's never given us a campaign finance statement to show how he pays for it all. Down here in New York however, a paper trail exists for many City Council members that show that their "gifting" to special interest groups is rewarded with campaign contributions.

From The NY Daily News:

- City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) earmarked $150,000 for the Emerald Isle Immigration Center, whose board chairman raised at least $10,900 for her abortive mayoral campaign.

- City Councilmen Bill de Blasio and David Yassky, both Brooklyn Democrats, were co-sponsors of $145,000 for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy for the past two fiscal years. Board members and the nonprofit's director raised $16,150 for de Blasio and $22,700 for Yassky in the same period.

- City Councilwoman Jessica Lappin (D-Manhattan) sponsored $15,000 for the private Gillen Brewer School on the upper East Side. Members of the school’s board contributed or raised $11,875 for her campaign.

- Councilman Vincent Gentile (D-Brooklyn) collected 758 contributions for his $157,392 campaign fund - 23 came from employees of 12 organizations that raked in $113,000 in tax dollars he sponsored.

- Councilman John Liu (D-Queens) sponsored or co-sponsored $37,500 in Council funds for the Chinese-American Planning Council. He picked up $9,713 in checks from employees, board members and their spouses (up to $20,213 with matching funds).

It all adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from groups that got millions in taxpayer cash - more than $200,000 in contributions, or up to $467,000 with public matching dollars.

And those are just a few examples of this, as the Daily News calls it, being Santa with tips. Of course, none of the legislators mentioned would ever admit to engaging in quid pro quo, but every one of their advisers can quickly claim it is all legal. The fact that it is legal is the problem and especially that this activity is encouraged. Currently led by Christine Quinn, the ability to hand out and push other Council members for lulus is a tremendous exercise of power (not to mention the whole slush fund thing). She is supposed to be the example for the other fifty members and her actions dictate a less than reputable manner of behavior. So it shouldn't be too surprising that so many Council members think it is acceptable to play Santa while accepting handouts from the same people they give funding to.

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.

Siegel Sues The City Over Council Speaker's Slush Fund

The Slush Fund scandal came to light concerning fake charities and payouts from the Council Speaker's office, Quinn "got tough" and proposed reforms to smooth things over with the public (and possibly the District Attorney). However, community hero and potentially future Public Advocate Norman Siegel is not buying the aftermath of what happened. He has taken the step to sue the city under an old Boss Tweed-era law and demand answers to questions that every citizen in New York deserves to hear.

From The Daily Politics:

The suit seeks to have key City Hall officials subpoenaed to testify, including Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Mayor Bloomberg.

A hearing date of a show cause order was set for May 29.

Among other issues that would be explored if the inquiry is approved would be whether actions by Quinn and others in the Council’s creation of phantom budget accounts constitutes violations of neglect of duty in relation to the proper conduct of the government affairs of New York City.

Also to be explored is if anyone knowingly made false or deceptive reports “in the course of their duty.”

Other questions posed by the suit include:

- Why were the secret budget accounts created?

- Who was involved in the decision to create them?

- Where did the money involved eventually end up?

- Who chose the groups that got the money?

- Who was aware of the behind-the-scene use of the secret accounts and how they were used?

- What did the mayor and his Office of Management and Budget know, and if they knew what did they do about it?

Quinn never offered this information up in her press conferences, possibly to save her mayoral chances next year (and to hold on to the Speakership for that matter). Of course Siegel isn't seeking any penalties for those he names to testify but more importantly to have the truth heard so we do not have to repeat these mistakes again and again.

Norman is holding a press conference tomorrow morning at 10:30 in his office at 260 Madison (18th Fl), for all those that care to hear his remark in person and before brunch. Be sure to see what else Norman is up to at his website.