Sunday, January 23, 2011

Halt To Inquiry Into Bloomberg Campaign Finance Violations Raises Questions

The New York City Campaign Finance Board is suspending its investigation into whether the committee to reëlect Mayor Michael Bloomberg violated disclosure rules ; the suspension is coming on the orders of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, sources have told The New York Post.

Presumably because oral arguments in the District Attorney's criminal case against John Haggerty are being heard tomorrow, Manhattan DA Cy Vance's office has asked the Campaign Finance Board to hold off its review of Mayor Bloomberg's financial disclosures in connection with his 2009 reëlection campaign.

Mr. Haggerty is accused of misusing approximately $1.1 million in undisclosed money from Mayor Bloomberg's personal-private accounts, which had been paid to the Independence Party ; it has been reported that Mr. Haggerty bought a house with most of the proceeds of Mayor Bloomberg's political donation.

Meanwhile, one questions why Mr. Haggerty is being charged with misusing a political client's money, if he can continue to be hired for his political and campaign services. If Mr. Haggerty was, indeed, a thief, then he would not have been hired to work for 2010 GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino.

Carl Paladino, John Haggerty. Mr. Haggerty, right, escorts Mr. Paladino during the Columbus Day Parade in New York City on October 11, 2010. Photo by Anonymous.

If the intention for Mr. Bloomberg's off-committee donation to the Independence Party was always meant to be a way to funnel money to Mr. Haggerty, then it was Mr. Bloomberg, who failed to disclose the campaign payment, not Mr. Haggerty, who misused the proceeds.

Michael Bloomberg,campaign finance scandal,Independence Party,John Haggerty,shell game,electioneering payments,disclosure violations

That Mr. Vance has asked for the suspension of the Campaign Finance Board's investigation makes one question his motive. As The Post reported, ''If the CFB decides the mayor was trying to hide spending that benefited him directly, he could face a significant fine.''

Monday, January 17, 2011

Cathie Black's Birth Control Insult

Pull Out Method : Before Cathie Black Can Take A Few Sensitivity Courses, She Should Pull Out That Foot-Long In Her Mouth.

Last week, New York City Schools Chancellor Cathie Black insulted school employees, parents, and their children, after she said that birth control would solve overcrowding in Lower Manhattan schools.

"Could we just have some birth control for a while?" Black is quoted as having said, according to The New York Daily News. "It would really help us."

The schools chancellor added insult to injury by making another insensitive comment about the movie, Sophie's Choice.

One of the major problems facing New York City is that building and planning officials, such City Planner Amanda Burden, have taken part in an orgy of over-development : so many zone-busting high-rise apartment and condominium towers have been built in New York City without regard to the city's underlying infrastructure, such as school capacity or the number of hospitals in Lower Manhattan.

After she's done with each of issuing apologies for her insults and taking sensitivity courses, let's see Ms. Black's proposal for the construction of schools in Lower Manhattan, to match Ms. Burden's vision for an over-crowded and over-built Manhattan, one stuffed with so many Subway sandwich shops that New York City has consequently become such a huge turn-off.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Mayor Bloomberg Find Himself Snowed-Under

Snow Blower

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg continues to try to dig himself out from under the piles of criticism following the deadly post-Christmas Blizzard of 2010. Yesterday, the mayor ran out of patience with reporters questions, who were keeping Mayor Bloomberg accountable for the deadly response to the blizzard, even as a new snow storm was expected to hit New York City just in time for the weekend.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Another NYC Technology Contract Scandal

Comptroller John Liu Calls “TIME-OUT” On $286 Million Emergency Communications Transformation Contract.

In the wake of the CityTime scandal, New York City Comptroller John Liu today called on Mayor Michael Bloomberg to immediately review the Emergency Communications Transformation Program (ECTP).

In a letter written to Mayor Bloomberg by Comptroller Liu, the Comptroller's office rejected a $286 million contract request that would have nearly doubled the initial ECTP contract cost of $380 million. The new contract request would have raised the ECTP budget to $666 million.

Below is the latest YouTube from Suzannah B. Troy, about the latest New York City technology contract scandal to emerge under the Bloomberg administration.


Click on the link to read the news release issued today by the Comptroller's office about the latest New York City technology contract scandal.