Stringer Bangs de Blasio on Affordable Housing
Audit Faults New York City for Not Using Vacant Lots for Affordable Housing (NYT) Comptroller Scott M. Stringer said the city had been slow to develop over 1,000 long-unused properties despite a housing shortage. Housing officials said his conclusions were “false and misleading.”
Stringer: Homeless Shelters Obscene Conditions
City’s shelters plagued with ‘obscene’ living conditions: Stringer (NYP) Auditors found violations in 87 percent of the 101 housing units they visited. The Department of Homeless Services doesn’t have enough personnel to oversee the shelters, the auditors said. * New York City shelters are still living in “appalling” conditions that remain virtually unchanged nine months after a city report called for major improvements, the Journal reports: * Although de Blasio has vowed to be the mayor who finally found humane solutions for homelessness, the results have been abysmal, forcing thousands of families to remain needlessly stuck in shelters while numbers are growing once again, the Daily News writes: * Stringer Calls ForHiring New Deputy Mayor in Audit of Homeless Services (NYO)
Stringer Also Hooked On Glenwoods Sugar Money
Key witness in Silver and Skelos trials a top ‘bundler’ for Scott Stringer (NYP) A real-estate executive who received immunity to become a witness in the federal corruption trials of both of the state’s former legislative leaders is also the top “bundler” for city Comptroller Records show that Glenwood Management senior VP and counsel Charles Dorego rounded up $149,900 for Stringer’s 2013 campaign, more than any other supporter. The money Dorego directed to Stringer overshadowed the $33,175 he contributed or bundled that year for all other candidates, including $9,900 for Bill de Blasio’s mayoral campaign.* As New York City presses landlords to take in homeless families, Comptroller Scott Stringer said some have illegally refused renting to those who get government aid, which violates a 2008 anti-discrimination law, * Cuomo, who lives in Westchester, picked the county’s district attorney and his former JCOPE executive the Daily News reports:chairwoman, Janet DiFiore to become chief judge of the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court. If confirmed by the state Senate, she would replace Jonathan Lippman, who is retiring at the end of the year.
Stringer Goes After the Pension Investment Companies
When Comptroller Liu When After Them He Was Interrupted by A Federal Investigation That Put His Treasure In Jail
Controller Scott Stringer will propose to reform the waycity pension funds choose investment companies (NYDN) New York City Controller Scott Stringer will propose next week a sweeping change in how the city’s $160 billion pension system — the fourth largest in the nation — chooses the private companies that invest its money. Stringer’s plan, according to several people briefed on it, will call for consolidating separate investment committees of the police, fire, teachers and other municipal union pension funds into a single combined umbrella group. That group would meet only four times a year, thus doing away with the current system, where the five major pension funds each hold their own separate monthly meetings to select investment managers. The trustees of each fund, however, would still vote separately on whether to park their money with a particular firm. Stringer declined to comment on his proposal until he releases it in the next few days.
It is A Secret: Stringer Looking For Ways to Run for Mayor
Comptroller Sees Financial Power as Tool to Advance Civil Rights (NYT) Scott M. Stringer, a Democrat, has made a concerted effort to advertise the inventive ways he has used his powers to promote social justice causes. New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer is using his staid role to build a broader coalitionof community leaders, business advocates and others as he considers a potential mayoral campaign.* The Times profiles how New York City Comptroller ScottStringer has sought to build a broader reputation for himself as a self-described social justice advocate, within the confines of a staid role:
More About Stringer
Stringer Targets Mayor
Stringer singled out the city Health Department, claiming it had taken a “laid-back attitude.” “Over the last 10 years [of] Legionnaires’ disease, more cases were found throughout the country and in New York City , and government didn’t go run toward the disease to eradicate it. We let the disease come to us and it settled in the South Bronx ,” he said.* New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer became the third potential 2017 mayoral challenger to criticize Mayor de Blasio’s handling of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, the Post reports: *NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer slammed the de Blasio administration’s response to Legionnaires’ disease Wednesday, saying officials didn’t move quickly enough to tackle the outbreak.
Stringer: Queens Library Corruption Needs A Criminal Probe
Stringer Forms New Investigative Unite
Financial abuse at Queens Library was so out of control that New York City Controller Scott Stringer is urging the IRS and local prosecutors to launch criminal probes against its leadership, the DailyNews’ Juan Gonzalez writes: * While boosting management salaries by 6.9%, the QueensLibrary cut operating hours by 4 hours a week: * Former Queens Library President Thomas Galante and otherlibrary execs spent over $300,000 on items such as extravagant meals, TVs, airline upgrades and concert tickets, all while claiming the library was running a deficit, according to an audit by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer: * New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, not content to merely audit every city agency on a semi-regular basis, is expanding his office’s reach by creating a new investigative unit.* Comptroller creates new investigative unit (Capital) * Audit Details $310,000 in Prohibited Expenses by Queens Library’s Leaders (NYT) The city comptroller’s investigation revealed that executives used library funds for meals and entertainment; more than $100,000 of these expenses could amount to fraud and embezzlement. * Comptroller creates new investigative unit (Capital) “This new investigation team is a powerful addition to our arsenal,” Stringer said in the prepared statement. “Their work will enable us to dig even deeper into the agencies we audit as we fulfill our mandate to root out fraud and save City taxpayers’ hard-earned money.” * In a sweeping critique of past spending and accounting practices at the Queens Library, a NYC audit detailed more than $310,000 in prohibited expenses by the former president of the system, Thomas W. Galante, and by other executives. More than $100,000 of these expenses, officials contended, could amount to fraud and embezzlement.
Stringer Puts Pressure On de Blaiso to Stop the Mold At Public Housing
STILL BROKEN: NYCHA misreported repair numbers, closing thousands of tickets while leaving problems unfixed, audit reveals (NYDN) * The Daily News calls on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to show that he cares about improving NYCHA housing, starting with an audit by the city comptroller, launching fast-track overhauls and responding quickly to mold and water problems: * Mark-Viverito Vouches for NYCHA Head Amid ‘Ridiculous’Resignation Calls (NYO) Fix Payment System New York Comptroller Faults Payment System in 39 City Agencies (NYT) Scott M. Stringer, New York City ’s comptroller, said misuse of an arcane system allowed agencies to circumvent contract regulations and restricted oversight of vendors with integrity and performance issues. * NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer is recommending investing in technology to track repairs in the city’s public housing similar to the CompStat program that the Police Department uses to map and respond to crime. The proposal came following an audit by his office that found many repairs in public housing were still being made at a glacial pace, if at all. * NYCHA misreported repair numbers, closing thousands of tickets while leaving problems unfixed: audit (NYDN) * The Daily News writes that “statistical manipulations” will not help de Blasio now or in election season, and notes that New York City Housing Authority residents deserve honest accounting from the city: * MAYOR AND LANDLORD: Bill de Blasio must take ownership of Housing Authority fix (NYDN) * STILL BROKEN: NYCHA misreported repair numbers, closing thousands of tickets while leaving problems unfixed, audit reveals (NYDN) * Short on cash, H.H.C. considers seasonal borrowing (Capital) * Breukelen Houses biggest backlog of repair work inBorough * NYC Housing Authority boasted of progress at reducing hugebacklog. Watchdog called it "creative accounting" (Pro Publica) * NYC is poised to launch a $10 million project to provide free Internet broadband access to more than 16,000 residents of its sprawling public housing system. * Editorial: NYCHA broadband does not compute (NYDN Ed)
Flashback Campaign 2013: de Blasio Said He Had A Different Attitude About NYCHA and Promised A "New Beginning"
Stringer: NYCHA Mismanagement
New York City Public Housing Units Remain Empty Unnecessarily, Audit Finds (NYT) A report released by New York City’s comptroller, Scott M. Stringer, found that apartments remain vacant unnecessarily, either waiting for repairs for years or staying empty long after renovations.NYCHA has left thousands of apartments empty for repairs (NYP) * Amid a crisis in affordable housing, the city’s Housing Authority kept 80 low-rent apartments empty for more than 10 years for repairs and renovations — including one dating back to 1994, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer found in an audit. * Time to evict New York’s public-housing slumlord (NYP Ed) The horrors of public housing in this city simply never cease. The latest: As 270,000 people languish on waiting lists desperate for an affordable place to live, thousands of low-rent publicly owned apartments sit vacant — often for years. That’s the tragic finding of an audit city Comptroller Scott Stringer released last week. And it’s yet another in a long string of reasons to evict the landlord: i.e., the New York City Housing Authority.* A new audit by NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer on the troubled New York City Housing Authority reveals that more than 2,000 pubic-housing apartments remain vacant because of pending repairs. * New York City Public Housing Has Pileup of Repairs, Comptroller’s Audit Finds (NYT) Comptroller Scott M. Stringer is recommending investing in technology to track repairs in public housing similar to the CompStat program that the Police Department uses to map and respond to crime.
Stringer Puts Press On de Blaiso to Stop the Mold At Public Housing
NYCHA residents still waiting for change after Mayor de Blasio's promises (June 28, 2014) Seventeen tenants sued NYCHA in June on behalf of DeWitt Clinton Houses' 1,700 residents, demanding the authority address dozens of repairs that date back years. While de Blasio's administration has made some changes, some tenants throughout NYCHA developments still suffer. Six months ago, Mayor de Blasio took office promising big changes for public housing, but that means little to Blanche Moore, who still has to deal with sickening black mold in her bathroom. Before de Blasio’s arrival at City Hall, NYCHA was under fire for chronic mismanagement, including a huge backlog of repair requests. And de Blasio vowed to fire the agency’s chair, John Rhea, who resigned days before de Blasio arrived. De Blasio brought in as chairwoman housing advocate Shola Olatoye on Feb. 8, promising a “new beginning” for NYCHA tenants.“We begin with a different attitude toward the people we are serving. We see the tenants of NYCHA as the people we work for,” he said, standing in the basement at Lincoln Houses in East Harlem .* New York, NY - De Blasio Launches Online NYCHA Watch ...(2013) * NYC Mayoral Candidates Sleep in Public Housing - NBC ... * New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito described calls for the New York City Housing Authority Chairwoman Shola Olatoye to resign “ridiculous” and praised her “great ideas,” the Observerwrites:
The Daily News calls on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to show that he cares about improving NYCHA housing, starting with an audit by the city comptroller, launching fast-track overhauls and responding quickly to mold and water problems: * Mark-Viverito Vouches for NYCHA Head Amid ‘Ridiculous’Resignation Calls (NYO) Fix Payment System New York Comptroller Faults Payment System in 39 City Agencies (NYT) Scott M. Stringer, New York City ’s comptroller, said misuse of an arcane system allowed agencies to circumvent contract regulations and restricted oversight of vendors with integrity and performance issues.
Flashback Campaign 2013: de Blasio Said He Had A Different Attitude About NYCHA and Promised A "New Beginning"
Stringer: NYCHA Mismanagement
New York City Public Housing Units Remain Empty Unnecessarily, Audit Finds (NYT) A report released by New York City’s comptroller, Scott M. Stringer, found that apartments remain vacant unnecessarily, either waiting for repairs for years or staying empty long after renovations.NYCHA has left thousands of apartments empty for repairs (NYP) * Amid a crisis in affordable housing, the city’s Housing Authority kept 80 low-rent apartments empty for more than 10 years for repairs and renovations — including one dating back to 1994, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer found in an audit. * Time to evict New York’s public-housing slumlord (NYP Ed) The horrors of public housing in this city simply never cease. The latest: As 270,000 people languish on waiting lists desperate for an affordable place to live, thousands of low-rent publicly owned apartments sit vacant — often for years. That’s the tragic finding of an audit city Comptroller Scott Stringer released last week. And it’s yet another in a long string of reasons to evict the landlord: i.e., the New York City Housing Authority.* A new audit by NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer on the troubled New York City Housing Authority reveals that more than 2,000 pubic-housing apartments remain vacant because of pending repairs.
First the Daily News Attack Torres For Not Taking Responsibility for NYCHA Mess Now They Give Him Space to Praise the Same Person His Was Blaming
But New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres and Smith Houses Resident Association President Aixa Torres write in the Daily News that the future of NYCHA is bright, thanks to Chairwoman Shola Olatoye’s vision and de Blasio’s support * The Post writes that it is time to evict the de Blasio administration from running NYCHA and break up the behemoth government monopoly after a city comptroller audit found long waiting lists for major repairs and thousands of vacant apartments:
6 Months Ago the Daily News Went After Torres for Blaming NYCHA Chair Olatoye
Members of the CityCouncil are NYCHA’s true owners (NYDN Dec 2014) Those grilling chairwoman Shola Olatoye need to take a hard look in the mirror The chairman of the City Council Public Housing Committee says he knows who’s responsible for leaving public housing decrepit and dangerous: a conspiracy of the powerful. In which Councilman Ritchie Torres failed to include himself and the rest of the city legislature.it’s time for Torres, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the rest of the body to recognize that they serve as landlords for more than 400,000 New Yorkers. The public housing crisis is theirs to solve. NYCHA needs more money to operate and much more money to make repairs. If Torres & Co. are serious that improving the lives of residents is a top priority, they will draw a budget that provides the cash by shifting support away from less pressing needs.
Post Always Reports NYCHA Leadership Sucks The Post writes that it is time to evict the de Blasio administration from running NYCHA and break up the behemoth government monopoly after a city comptroller audit found long waiting lists for major repairs and thousands of vacant apartments: REAL ESTATE—“Stringer: NYCHA apartments left vacant for years “Low-income apartments run by the New York City Housing Authority are in high demand, with more than 270,000 applicants on the authority’s waiting list. But some 241 NYCHA units slated for repairs have remained vacant for an average of seven years, costing the agency millions in lost rents, according to an audit released on Wednesday by Comptroller Scott Stringer. Stringer, speaking during a news conference outside the Raymond V. Ingersoll Houses in Brooklyn , criticized the housing authority for its oversight of the vacancies. … According to NYCHA, the agency has 2,342 vacant apartments that have been left empty for a combination of short- and long-term repairs. Stringer’s audit found that these numbers are ‘estimates at best,’ and that NYCHA lacks adequate records on apartment occupancy * Audit: NYC Housing Authority sitting on 2,000 vacant units (WSJ) * More than a day after ‘framework’ agreement, educationissues remain unresolved in Albany * Calls for NYCHA Head’s Ouster Spur Defense of De Blasio’sRecord (City Limits) *Tenants, churches want NYCHA boss to resign over lack of mold repairs(NYDN)
True News Wonders Why the NYT Did Not Point Out the Poor State of Public Housing Finances When the Candidates Were Making Promises of More Services During the 2013 Election
The Times writes that to save New York City’s public housing, de Blasioneeds to “find a ton of money, then put it where his mouth is,” and that after decades of neglect it will remain a perplexing challenge:
Stringer vs Moskowitz 2017
And you thought the 2016 presidential race got off to an early start. Demonstrating how fast candidates are getting off the fundraising blocks for the next citywide cycle, city ControllerScott Stringer is pushing a June 9 Manhattan fundraiser -- the first of his 2017 campaign. Renee Cafaro, treasurer of Manhattan Community Board 5 and a longtime Stringer ally, will host the gathering at her home at The Plaza. Top-tier tickets go for $4,950 a pop. Stringer has capitalized on his role as the city's top money man to act as a foil to Mayor de Blasio, his fellow Democrat, but has insisted he's not interested in anything but another term as controller right now. As of the most recent Campaign Finance Board records, Stringer, who defeated former Gov. Eliot Spitzer in a Democratic primary before winning the 2013 general election, had less than $42,000 in the bank.
Moskowitz taunts de Blasio at Manhattan Institute dinner (Capital) "I realize Mayor de Blasio sometimes gets picked on unfairly," she said, as the audience started laughing. "For example, he's been criticized for traveling to Iowa and the like, but I don't think his traveling to those places causes any harm. Coming back to New York , well, that's a different story," she concluded, to laughter, whistling and cheers from the friendly audience, whose members donated anywhere from $1,000 to $75,000 to the conservative think tank for its annual awards dinner, according to an invite. "Some of you may recall that the mayor said to a cheering audience of teachers' union members that it was, quote, 'time for Eva Moskowitz to stop being tolerated, enabled, and supported,'" she said, referencing a now-oft repeated line of de Blasio's from the mayoral race. "Getting this award makes me feel better," she said. "It's nice to know that someone is willing to tolerate me and to celebrate, I may take a victory lap around Central Park in a horse-drawn carriage," she finished with a grin, to thunderous laughter from the audience, mocking de Blasio's unfulfilled pledge to ban carriage horses. * Success Academy
Stringer Not Going After de Blasio
COMIC-AL NYCHA: $100M tracking system in such disarray, Housing Authority worker signed for supplies under the name 'X-Men' * De Blasio’s own Department of Investigation in March issued a withering report on vile conditions at 25 city-funded shelters, finding the worst at so-called cluster sites run by private landlords that bill the city an average of $2,541 a month, often for slum-grade apartments. Blocked fire exits, vermin infestations and skimpy security put thousands of families in harm’s way. • As a candidate, de Blasio vowed to stop using clusters. But DHS has since increased their number and has yet to move families out. • The shutdown plan includes paying some of the same shelter landlords to continue housing the same tenants in the same apartments — relabeling shelters as permanent housing and thus removing those families from the homeless tally. With equal desperation, the city has begun offering friends and relatives cash to take in homeless families. • A surge in violence in adult homeless facilities preceded last week’s murder of Bronx shelter director Ana Charle, with the rate of life-threatening incidents up 33% in the six months ending January 2015 over the same period the year prior.* DISPLACED, DISPERSED, DISAPPEARED: Families are being forced out of Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood as landlords seek to charge higher rents to incoming youths with deeper pockets, but where do they go when they move? Neil deMause reports: (City and State) * Tenants’ Voice Lacks Power as NYCHA Faces Crucial Chapter via@citylimitsorg * Housing Authority eyes ‘X-Men’ in supply thefts (NYP) * Housing Authority Fails to Protect Supplies, Audit Finds (WSJ) *Stringer: Housing Authority Grossly Mismanaged Inventory of Equipment, Supplies(NY1) *
Does the Daily News Think A Mayor Who Will Not Oppose Tax Breaks to Luxury Developers Is the Best Person to Sell Income Inequality?
As the GOP Control of Congress Does Not End Soon Louis Should Look How the Mayor is Trying to Build Bridges With SI GOP . . . But He is Not Doing That to Build A National Coalition, de Blasio is Connecting to SI Using His Lobbyists Pitta Bishop to Get Re-Elected in 2017
Errol Louis: De Blasio’s true national bid (NYDN) De Blasio’s recent forays into national politics, including speeches in Massachusetts, Nebraska and Iowa and an upcoming trip to Wisconsin, aren’t setting the stage for a sudden leap into the 2016 presidential contest by the man who was public advocate just a year and a half ago. But they are a recognition by the mayor and his top aides that many of the most daunting problems facing our city — starting with the vast and growing gap between rich and poor — can’t be solved by City Hall, at least not without a change in our national political and economic policies.
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Last Week True News Called the Pension Funds Leaky Tuesday the NYT Agrees
Some Parents Oppose Standardized Testing on Principle, but Not in Practice (NYT ED) Even parents who are uncomfortable with the exams are discovering that it is hard to push the button on the nuclear option — refusing to have their own children take them. TRUE NEWS WAG THE NYT * The Times writes that Stringer, who documented high Wall Street fees to manage city pension investments, should carry out his pledge to give pensioners an honest, easy-to-understand accounting of where the money goes:
Ferrer's Pay to Pay Pension Politics, the NY Culture of Corruption
After Introduction From Ferrer, Firm Earned $100000 From State ... When Ferrer was questioned by On the Road to City Hall and called on the president to endorse Thompson Freddy Ferrer Calls On Obama To Endorse Thompson For Mayor *** State Sen. Pedro Espada 'should be in jail,' says Dem Neil Breslin *** Ferrer wasn't thrilled by Al Gore's praise of Mayor Bloomberg, either *** The Left Goes For Critics' Jugular - Jeanne Cummings, Politico *** Democratic fundraiser Hsu sentencing today *** Schumer Rakes in Wall Street Cash (Politico) *** WATCH: Dylan Ratigan Rips Evasive Lobbyist: "All You Did Was Play Cable Dodgeball"
A Look Back At the Hevesi Pay to Play Pension Scandal
Hevesi accepted six luxury vacations to Israel and Italy from a California venture capitalist Elliott Broidyto gain the right to manage $250 million in state pension-fund assets.Broidy pleaded guilty to a felony charge of rewarding official misconduct -- in cases involving at least four high-level officials in the comptroller's office whom he didn't name -- and had agreed to forfeit $18 million in fees he received for managing pension-fund investments Hevesi took swank trips as 'payoffs', Broidy reaped an $18 million jackpot in management fees - money he must now give back *
True News has Written About Steve Rattner Pay to Play Pension Corruption
Steve Ratner Pension MessWho's Afraid of Steve Rattner? Everyone? * bloomberg pensionMess * The Wolf at Thompson's Door * True News: Wolf at Thompson Door, Part II . Avella Opens A Cut * DiNapoli * pension pay to play * The Hevesi Team is on the Pay to Play Varsity Division * Investors and Developers Control Comptroller's Campaign * Organized Crime Politics: Comptroller Office for Sale $$$ * Rattner: Toxic Conflict of Interest; Is the NYT at Risk? * Mayor Won't Forsake Rattner
Lobbyists Political Consultant Hank Morris At the Center of Hevesi's Pay to Play Pension Scandal
Parole Granted for Political Consultant in a Corruption Case(NYT) Ex-Aide to Hevesi Goes to Prison in Pension Fund Case (NYT) Updated Hank Morris, once a political adviser to Alan G. Hevesi, a former state comptroller, received a maximum sentence of one and a third to four years in prison on Thursday for his role in a pay-to-play scheme involving the state's... * Adviser Pleads Guilty in Pay-to-Play Pension Scheme (NYT) Hank Morris, a central player in a pay-to-play scheme, will return $19 million to the state pension fund as part of a plea agreement.
Pension Pay to Play Ray Harding
Former New York Liberal Party head Ray Harding charged with taking kickbacks in pension fund scheme * Raymond B. Harding Pleads Guilty in Pension Fund Corruption
Former New York Liberal Party head Ray Harding charged with taking kickbacks in pension fund scheme * Raymond B. Harding Pleads Guilty in Pension Fund Corruption
Pay to Play Pension Boss McCall
Stringer to Review Corrupt DOE Contract
New York Controller to review $1 BILLION contract between Department of Education and tech firm (NYDN)
Stringer, James and Wright Dream A Dream . . .
THE NEWS SAYS: Enough finally was enough for Democratic leaders who stood up to Silver(NYDN) Enough finally wasenough (NYDN) The Assembly’s Democratic leaders have resolved to dump Sheldon Silver as speaker. Bravo to them.Initially, at his urging, five allies broached a plan to let Silver delegate leadership to them. Denny Farrell of Manhattan, Carl Heastie of the Bronx, Joseph Lentol of Brooklyn, Joseph Morelle of Rochester and Catherine Nolan of Queens will forever be known as Silver’s partners in crime for doing his bidding. Gov. Cuomo pointed out the impossibility of managing negotiations with a five-member team while also saying that a replacement speaker would be “a good thing.” * Assembly Democrats ask Sheldon Silver to resign(Capital)* Controller Scott Stringer speaks out on Sheldon Silver: 'It's not time to step aside, it's actually time to step down'(NYDN)The Daily News writes that politicians’ portrayal of Silver as a champion for New York City overlooks his role in repealing the commuter tax in 1999, which has cost the city $10 billion to date * Assmb Keith Wright supporters say he has over 30 Dem votes sewn up for Speaker bid.
James, Stringer and Council Blast Airbnb Before City Council Hearing
Wednesday Update Neighbors’ complaints to 311 over Airbnb are on the rise(NYP) * A New York City Council hearing pitted affordable housing advocates against proponents of sites like Airbnb, with lawmakers bashing short-term rentals they say hurt low-income residents, The New York Timesreports: *City Council blastsAirbnb executives in contentious hearing (NYDN) Council members accused the company of helping landlords transform affordable housing units into illegal hotels. But Airbnb executive David Hantman said the company doesn’t support illegal hotels and tries to remove abusers from the site. The eight-hour hearing was Tuesday before a packed audience.* Council Slams Airbnbfor Having No Idea How Many Listings Are Illegal | New York Observer * NYC Council members ripped into Airbnb.com executives at a contentious hearing, accusing the company of helping landlords transform affordable housing units into illegal hotels.* Complaints about short-term apartment-rental services such as Airbnb soared in the past year — but there were only 12 inspectors to act on them, a city official said.* Public Advocate Letitia James blasts Airbnb for making Brooklyn "least affordable" housing market in nation(NYDN)* Council Slams Airbnbfor Having No Idea How Many Listings Are Illegal (NYO)* Airbnb’s affordable housing(NYP Ed)
Airbnb Buys News Organization and Starts It Media Blitz to Brainwash New Yorkers That They Are Not Wearhousing Apartments
Airbnb Contributes Max to de Blasio, Other Pols and Online News Blogs
Why Pols Don't Speak Out on Airbnb . . . It all About the Benjamins
Airbnb and Uber's Latest Lobbying Tactic: Donate to Bill De Blasio * Airbnb Really Wants Bill De Blasio To Be Cool With Airbnb ... * Former de Blasio campaign manager Bill Hyers joins Airbnb (NYDN)
Airbnb and Uber's Latest Lobbying Tactic: Donate to Bill De Blasio * Airbnb Really Wants Bill De Blasio To Be Cool With Airbnb ... * Former de Blasio campaign manager Bill Hyers joins Airbnb (NYDN)
Lobbyists Bolton St Johns
Airbnb works directly with its own lobbyist, Bolton-St. Johns, and indirectly as "an industry stakeholder" * Lobbyist for Airbnb in NYC is Bulton St Johns
Airbnb Ads Help Support the New Online News Blogs Capital, City and State and Local TV
The Capital News and City and State Blogs mix an advertising spin message from Airbnb at the same time when the day after the AG forced the company to release info to expose apartment bundlers who turned NYC apartments into hotels. Everytime bad news about Airbnb is printed these publication and the local TV stations get more ads.*according to New York state senator Liz Krueger, one of Airbnb's lobbying arms has started a misinformation campaign about the law to put more pressure on elected officials. Krueger is referring to Peers, a non-profit industry mouthpiece that presents itself as a grassroots organization for folks who just wanna make a little money on the side—and what kind of monster would object to that? Except that Peers was cofounded by Airbnb's "head of community" and has investment from the Omidyar Network, the foundation of eBay billionaire Pierre Omidyar—connections that are glossed over in order to make campaigns look more authentic, and less like a pre-IPO necessity. * New York Senator Accuses Airbnb Lobbyist Of Misinformation Campaign
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Cops quit Stringer’s security detail after chauffeuring wife(NYP) City Comptroller Scott Stringer didn’t dump his NYPD security detail — they asked for a transfer because he made them drive his wife to work and chewed them out for being late, sources close to the detectives told The Post Wednesday. An angry Stringer called the cops at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 22 and ripped them for being a half-hour late to pick up his wife, Elyse Buxbaum, at their Upper West Side pad, sources close to the detectives said.
NYP Hits Stringer On Rising Pension Costs
Pension fees soar to record levels under Stringer(NYP)
Stringer If You Attack the Mayor Expect to Be Sent A Message or Attacked Back
Or Did Stringer Piss Off Someone On Wall Street Like Liu on the Pension Pie . . . Post Repeated Attacks on Single Issue
Wednesday Stringer NYP Update
NYC cops & comptrollers(NYP) JFK Airport , the New York Stock Exchange and Times Square . Granted, Kelly and/or his current employer, Cushman Wakefield, could pick up the tab for his security needs. But the real issue is more than money. It’s this: If we are going to reassess the need of a former NYPD commissioner for a police detail, shouldn’t we be having a similar reassessment for politicians chauffeured around like Turkish pashas by police officers who would be better used to do what they are trained for — fighting crime?
Monday Stringer Starts the Fight Back
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DOB spent $5.8million on a consultant's worksite safety plan but has fully implemented only 8of 65 recommendations: (NYDN)* An audit by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer found the Bloomberg-era Buildings Department spent millions on consultants to learn how to avoid accidents at tower projects but failed to implement proposals, the Observer reports
Update Saturday: NYP Keeps the Hit On Stringer Going
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Calls to nix NYPD ‘anti-terror’ drivers(NYP)New York City and one-time Chicago police commander, blasted the practice — saying terrorists wouldn’t target these officials. “I don’t think they need a security detail at all,” he said.* Why Has the NYPDBeen Airing So Many Grievances in the Press Lately? (NY Mag)
Sunday NYP Stringer Hit
De Blasio ducks responsibility for officials’ NYPD drivers(NYP) Mayor de Blasio ducked responsibility on Saturday — saying it’s not his decision whether the NYPD provides drivers for top city officials and punting questions on the topic to Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. “I’m not sure all the facts are out there. I have a lot of faith in Commissioner Bratton,” de Blasio said Saturday in San Juan , Puerto Rico , where he’s attending the annual Somos el Futuro conference with a slew of city and state officials. “So, I leave it to their judgment,” the mayor said. “And I think all those questions should go to Commissioner Bratton and his team.” Bratton did not respond to a request for comment.
The @nypost due to their vendetta Against @EliotSpitzer bears some responsibility @scottmstringer's win:
Spitzerized Hit Job on Stringer
NYPD elite tapped to chauffeur low-level city officials(NYP)
For Stringer to Get the Post To Stop and Save His Political Future He Needs to Get A Drivers License
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James and Mark-Viverito referred all questions to the NYPD, which determines who is assigned a security detail. The three officials can have the cops take them anywhere they want — official events, personal errands, Saturday-night parties and weekend getaways — as long as they are personally in the car at the time, the Conflicts of Interest Board ruled in 2009.* Out of comptrol(NYP) City Comptroller Scott Stringer does a lot of audits. Now someone needs to audit him. This week, The Post has reported how Stringer seems to be using his security detail for personal business, including driving his wife around — and abusing the detail’s detectives. Sources say four officers asked for a transfer recently, and a fifth, a fed-up female detective, quit last summer.
Cops quit Stringer’s security detail after chauffeuring wife(NYP) City Comptroller Scott Stringer didn’t dump his NYPD security detail — they asked for a transfer because he made them drive his wife to work and chewed them out for being late, sources close to the detectives told The Post Wednesday. An angry Stringer called the cops at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 22 and ripped them for being a half-hour late to pick up his wife, Elyse Buxbaum, at their Upper West Side pad, sources close to the detectives said. * New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer dumped two cops from his NYPD security detail because they were late picking him up in the morning and then didn’t notice him and left an event that night and walked back home, the Post reports: * New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer’s audit of charter schools reeks of the same selective political targeting the IRS has become infamous for, the Post writes:
Stringer Outs de Blasio Pre K Mess
'This is the last hour... It’s heartbreaking': City halts dozens of prekindergarten centers over health and safety issues 48 hours before start of school year(NYDN)Dozens of pre-K sites stopped over health, safety issues(NYDN)
How universal pre-K will renew the city (NYDN)
New York City's first lady says Thursday's launch is a major milestone* NYC won't permit nine of 1,700 planned pre-k centers to opendue to health and safety concerns * Nine private programs that were to offer free, city-financed pre-K this year will not open because of safety concerns or other issues, and 36 programs will not be ready to open on Thursday, the first day of school, The New York Times reports:
Big hopes for little kids(NYDN Ed)
New York City's first lady says Thursday's launch is a major milestone* NYC won't permit nine of 1,700 planned pre-k centers to opendue to health and safety concerns * Nine private programs that were to offer free, city-financed pre-K this year will not open because of safety concerns or other issues, and 36 programs will not be ready to open on Thursday, the first day of school, The New York Times reports:
Big hopes for little kids(NYDN Ed)
Mayor de Blasio will ring the morning bell Thursday on his signature program to deliver full-day pre-K to more than 50,000 3- and 4-year-olds. They said it couldn’t be done. vount us among those who questioned whether de Blasio could find enough qualified teachers, safe classrooms and money to get universal pre-K going in the eight months between inauguration day and the start of school.* * Universal pre-K is a step in the right direction, but to really combat inequality we have to support families who are the ultimate deciding factor for children’s success, Fordham Law School’s Clare Huntington writes in the Times:
Final Touches Range From Flowery to Frantic as Expanded Pre-K Awaits Start(NYT)
Final Touches Range From Flowery to Frantic as Expanded Pre-K Awaits Start(NYT)
Do You Think Stringer Is Trying to Use Pre K to Show Us He is the Opposition to de Blasio
Stringer Looking for A Fight
Friday
Pre-K funding will not be released until contracts aresubmitted: Stringer(NYP) * 51,000 Answer de Blasio’s Bell for New Pre-K (NYT) * 'THIS MOMENT MEANS SO MUCH TO THESE KIDS': Bill de Blasio,Chirlane McCray weep during first day of pre-kindergarten expansion (NYDN) * While there have been hiccups along the way — including the postponement or cancellation of 45 pre-K programs this week — the first day of de Blasio’s grand initiativebrought mostly cause for celebration as 51,500 seats were filled, just shy of the city’s goal of enrolling 53,000 children.
Pre-K funding will not be released until contracts aresubmitted: Stringer(NYP) * 51,000 Answer de Blasio’s Bell for New Pre-K (NYT) * 'THIS MOMENT MEANS SO MUCH TO THESE KIDS': Bill de Blasio,Chirlane McCray weep during first day of pre-kindergarten expansion (NYDN) * While there have been hiccups along the way — including the postponement or cancellation of 45 pre-K programs this week — the first day of de Blasio’s grand initiativebrought mostly cause for celebration as 51,500 seats were filled, just shy of the city’s goal of enrolling 53,000 children.
Wednesday
The mayor’s Rx for pre-k peril: Sloppy start for program(NYP)Wednesday
Tuesday
The dog ate his homework(NYDN Ed) De Blasio cuts some corners on pre-K
Saturday
Pre-K Clash May Hint at the Start of a Rivalry Between de Blasio and Stringer(NYT)
Friday
De Blasio, Stringer square off over late pre-K contracts(NYP)
Kindergarten cop(NYP) Which is why we’re glad to see Comptroller Scott Stringer calling the mayor to task because his Department of Education still hasn’t submitted more than 70 percent of its pre-K contracts to the comptroller’s office for the required vetting.The mayor’s response? He dismissed Stringer’s alarm as “administrative paperwork” and suggested the comptroller was recklessly alarming the public.
New York Comptroller Is Concerned Over Pre-K Contract Delays(NYT)One week before school begins, the Education Department has submitted for review only 141 of more than 500 contracts with organizations that will be teaching prekindergarten. * Education Department sends less than 30% of pre-K contracts to city controller for review(NYDN)*
Universal prekindergarten contract submissions are lagging, while some of those submitted raise red flags(NYDN)
De Blasio submits pre-K contracts for review late: Stringer(NYP)
Mayor Defends Pre-K Safety
Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration said only five new sites for pre-K classes had health violations that needed to be addressed immediately and any centers with unresolved problems wouldn't open until they were fixed.
de Blasio's Answer to Stringer An Amen Press Conference With Political Supporters
‘It’s Not News': de Blasio Administration Dismisses Stringer Pre-K Analysis(NYO)
'At the end of the day, I don't work for this mayor'-@scottmstringer throws down the gauntlet* Mayor Bill de Blasio was joined by staff and allied politicians in aggressively dismissing a scathing audit of the mayor’s prekindergarten program by comptroller Scott Stringer who found the city has not submitted 70 percent of contracts with Pre-K providers, the Observer reports: http://goo.gl/yH7tNh * An audit from state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found that a state program that helps finance affordable housing has contributed to delays in building and rehabbing homes because of the questionable selection and lax monitoring of construction projects, The New York Times reports: * In First Year of Pre-K Expansion, a Rush to Beat the School Bell(NYT)
Tuesday
The dog ate his homework(NYDN Ed) De Blasio cuts some corners on pre-K
Saturday
Pre-K Clash May Hint at the Start of a Rivalry Between de Blasio and Stringer(NYT)
De Blasio, Stringer square off over late pre-K contracts(NYP)
Kindergarten cop(NYP) Which is why we’re glad to see Comptroller Scott Stringer calling the mayor to task because his Department of Education still hasn’t submitted more than 70 percent of its pre-K contracts to the comptroller’s office for the required vetting.The mayor’s response? He dismissed Stringer’s alarm as “administrative paperwork” and suggested the comptroller was recklessly alarming the public.
New York Comptroller Is Concerned Over Pre-K Contract Delays(NYT)One week before school begins, the Education Department has submitted for review only 141 of more than 500 contracts with organizations that will be teaching prekindergarten. * Education Department sends less than 30% of pre-K contracts to city controller for review(NYDN)*
Universal prekindergarten contract submissions are lagging, while some of those submitted raise red flags(NYDN)
De Blasio submits pre-K contracts for review late: Stringer(NYP)
Mayor Defends Pre-K Safety
Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration said only five new sites for pre-K classes had health violations that needed to be addressed immediately and any centers with unresolved problems wouldn't open until they were fixed.
De Blasio submits pre-K contracts for review late: Stringer(NYP)
Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration said only five new sites for pre-K classes had health violations that needed to be addressed immediately and any centers with unresolved problems wouldn't open until they were fixed.
'At the end of the day, I don't work for this mayor'-@scottmstringer throws down the gauntlet* Mayor Bill de Blasio was joined by staff and allied politicians in aggressively dismissing a scathing audit of the mayor’s prekindergarten program by comptroller Scott Stringer who found the city has not submitted 70 percent of contracts with Pre-K providers, the Observer reports: http://goo.gl/yH7tNh * An audit from state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found that a state program that helps finance affordable housing has contributed to delays in building and rehabbing homes because of the questionable selection and lax monitoring of construction projects, The New York Times reports: * In First Year of Pre-K Expansion, a Rush to Beat the School Bell(NYT)
Stringer Goes Out On A Tree Limb to Get A Good Press Hit
Scott Stringer: Parks Department botching tree pruning program(NYDN)The city has been barking up the wrong tree when it comes to pruning 650,000 street trees, an audit by Controller Scott Stringer found.Stringer found the Parks Department was paying contractors for pruning that was never done, and paying them to prune the wrong trees.“I don’t have to go out on a limb to tell you that our city’s performance is unacceptable. Tax dollars are wasted, property is damaged, and worse, people are injured and sometimes even killed when trees are not properly cared for,” Stringer said Sunday. In every borough except Queens, 17% of the trees the Parks Department paid to prune were actually too small to be eligible for the trimming.* Comptroller @scottmstringer's Report Criticizes New York’s Tree-Pruning Program, via @nytimes
Comptroller Reject DOITT IT Contracts
DOITT contract rejected four times over lack of transparency(NYP) City Comptroller Scott Stringer has rejected a Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications contract four times this year, saying there were no apparent safeguards on the vendor’s rates. “DOITT must be proactive in setting safeguards against overruns to truly change the way IT is done in New York City,” Stringer said of the DOITT’s proposed $30 million contract with Computer Aid Incorporated.Stringer Finally Gets Around to Clarence Norman's Contract
Revenge for Norman Friends Support for Stringer Opponent Spitzer?
Stringer Budget 180: No Deficit Problem After Accounting Correction
Comptroller Scott Stringer pushed back after investment firms cut back on buying municipal bonds, and he pointed to a new teachers contract to show that the city has its finances in order Controller Stringer looks to soothe investor worries over city bonds as deficit is projected to grow to $3.2B(NYDN)
Sal Albanese
DEB organizes private group to
push for his "agenda" I have suggestion do your job, gain trust of NY
& they will follow. Stop campaigning
* New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released an analysis of the city’s modified FY15 executive budget, which takes into account the fiscal impact of labor agreements and better-than-expected tax revenue that has narrowed out-year budget gaps: http://goo.gl/z1f8w6
Stringer In the Budet Crosshairs As the Daily News Says the Budget Smells 1975 . . .
De Blasio: ‘Respectful disagreement’ on budget change(Capital)
High-Power Tug of War Over Teachers’ Deal(NYT)
Mayor Bill de Blasio minimized his concern over a
multi-million-dollar accounting change he made to the budget related to
the recent, tentative deal his administration struck with the teachers
union.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said his administration will make a $725 million
adjustment to its settlement with the city’s teachers’ union after the
city comptroller spotted an accounting problem. * Bill pays his bills: To satisfy political debts, that is(NYP)Just five months into the Age of de Blasio, New York has been transformed from a city with a modest budget surplus and great expectations into a municipality of some suspicion to the credit snoops.
After a negative Moody’s report and criticism from the city comptroller, the de Blasio administration shifted $725 million in retroactive pay to this fiscal year instead of spreading it out over four years, The New York Times reports:
More on Comptroller Scott Stringer and the Budget
Press and Controller On the UFT Contract Fuzzy Math
Paging Dr. Stringer(NYP Ed)
Scott Stringer has done the citizens of Gotham a public service by calling out the mayor for the accounting gimmicks he used in his budget. As a result, the city won’t be able to put off some of the current costs of the teachers contract into future years. Let’s hope the city comptroller takes a similar look at the rest of the contract, especially the so-called “health savings” that were so heavily touted in selling the agreement. Because it looks as though Mayor de Blasio has more fuzzy math. Here’s another: The cost of the teachers union’s new contract — announced as about $6 billion — is now estimated to be closer to $9 billion. The mayor’s response? It’s an example of the “moving parts” of any union deal. In the past, New Yorkers have been burned by bureaucratic bait-and-switch: Elected leaders pass a budget front-loaded with spending (or tax increases) and “savings” or “cuts” on the back end. Money gets spent and taxes are raised — but the promised savings somehow fail to materialize.
Nicole Gelinas
Real Cost of the Contract Increase to $9 Billion Not the $5.5 Promised
Mulgrew: Not A Nickel From Teachers for Promised Health Care Savings
Teachers union boss Mike Mulgrew’s glee is another reason for concern. He’s crowing because his members pulled off a contract that did not require them to contribute a nickel for their own health care. You’d be hard-pressed to find any such arrangement elsewhere — and not just in the private sector. At the state level, Gov. Cuomo managed to get concessions that increased New York’s public workers’
Bill’s Credibility GAAP For the first time since the 1975 fiscal crisis, a mayor has proposed a budget that runs afoul of the accounting standards that have kept New York City’s finances on the straight and narrow writes the NYDN. The Daily News writes that for the first time since 1975, a New York City mayor has proposed a budget that is off base from the accounting standards that have kept the city's finances on a good path * FISCAL SETBACKS: Controller argues that Mayor de Blasio must account for $725M in back pay for retirement-eligible teachers(NYDN)* Mayor
Stringer and the Mayor
Capital New York profiled Comptroller Scott Stringer‘s relationship with the de Blasio administration, finding Mr. Stringer to be “if not a problem for the new mayor, at least a modest outlier among the almost uniformly deferential occupants of city leadership roles.” “The Comptroller has worked closely with the Mayor to implement his ambitious agenda to lift up our city,” a Stringer spokesman said.
City Council 2014, Progressives
More About Top Cop Bratton
OOPS
More than 31,000 retired police officers and firefighters received a
$12,000 pension payment on Thursday and were later told: “Do not spend
this money.”
Why Does the Council Ignore the Corrupt 911 Contractors, Lobbyists Who Push Them?
Until last June, response time was calculated from the moment a 911 call was transferred to the appropriate dispatcher. Under that method, ambulance response time was 6 minutes 47 seconds, according to city stats. The city’s new 911 system — which routes all calls through a central set of dispatchers — has drawn fire from critics who say it increases response times and experiences frequent glitches.
Stringer Goes After 911 IT Corruption
Stringer Holding 911 Hewlett-Packer Feet to the Fire New York City Comptroller Scott
Stringer rejected a proposed $6 million Bloomberg administration
settlement with Hewlett-Packard for the company’s overcharging of the
city for modernizing its Gonzalez: Controller Scott Stringer rejects $6M settlement with Hewlett-Packard for 911 overcharging(NYDN) * NYC Rejects $6 Million Settlement With HP Over 911 System Upgrade Council Names A Street for Ariel But Does Not Hold A Hearing to Find Out the Cause of Her Death the Corrupt 911 Contrats
Is the Power of the 911 Lobbyist Over the Council the Reason It Names Street and Does Not Investigate Contractors?
Media Never Names the Lobbyist Who Made Money on the Broken 911 System
Both
Mercury and George Artz have been lobbyists for Hewlett-Packard which
was the main contractor of the city's 911 emergency system that crashes a
lot. The city 911 system is now being sued by the parents of 4-year-old
Ariel Russo who claim she died because an ambulance to take the little
girl to the hospital was delayed by a 911 crash. Among the lobbyists to
get paid by the city’s broken 911 system contractors was George Arzt,
Mercury Public Affairs, LLC, Jennifer Carlson, Peter Barden, Jonathan
Greenspun, Michael McKeon, Kasirer Consulting LLC. More on Corrupt Lobbyists More on Dark Pool Corrupt Lobbyists
Dead Girl and Lobbyist Still Rake In 911
Dead Girl and Lobbyist Still Rake In 911
Last June 4th year old Ariel Russo died shortly aftergetting hit by an SUV. There had been a
four-minute delay in dispatching the ambulance to take the little girl to the
hospital. The city is blaming 911 operation human errors for the delay. The union leader of the 911 operators is
blaming the new troubled $2 billion dollars upgrade that the city is
installing. The city’s upgrade of the 911 system has not gone very well. It has been hunted by system crashes, wrong
addresses and over a billion and a half dollar cost overrun. It is now up to a jury to find out who is
really at fault for the girls death.
Lobbyist Are So Protected That Can Rake In $$$ While People Get Hurt By Their Handy Work
Even
though the press says HP was replaced on the 911 project John Liu’s report said
that HP was still working on the project and got paid over $300 million in 2012
for their work. In 2010 thru 2011 when
the city council was going after problems in the 911 system, HP hired Kasirer
Consulting LLC and paid them over $200,000 to lobby city hall for the company. Mercury Public Affairs public affairs have
been working on the project for Intergraph Corp since 2007. Before Intergraph hired Sal Salamone as a
lobbyist in 2006 to 2008 ($100,000) Salamone worked for the city on the
Citytime project until he was let go after the corruption and cost overruns
become know on that project, in which Liz Holtzman was one of the lobbyists
that cashed in. It had to get through
the fog surrounding the 911 contracts.
Last month Bloomberg lauded Comptroller 911 audit he once called
'stupid.’ He even said there was nothing
wrong with the Hewlett-Packard contract and the city paid those most of the
money
they requested. The mayor changed
him mind on Comptroller budget to stop a federal audit requested by DC 37’s
Lillian Roberts.* CM to lobbyist: "You're not really focused on safety, but on the perspective of drivers is that fair? Lobbyist: Yes.(WNYC) * In
2013 Mercury Public Affairs, which was running an independent spending
campaign funded by billionaire David Koch and others boosting Mr. de
Blasio's general-election opponent, Republican Joseph Lhota.
Lobbyist Are So Protected That Can Rake In $$$ While People Get Hurt By Their Handy Work
Audit: HP overbilled city for 911 upgrade | Crain's New York Business
they requested. The mayor changed
him mind on Comptroller budget to stop a federal audit requested by DC 37’s
Lillian Roberts.* CM to lobbyist: "You're not really focused on safety, but on the perspective of drivers is that fair? Lobbyist: Yes.(WNYC) * In
2013 Mercury Public Affairs, which was running an independent spending
campaign funded by billionaire David Koch and others boosting Mr. de
Blasio's general-election opponent, Republican Joseph Lhota.
More on the 911 System Failure * Lobbyists the New Permanent Government* Corrupt lobbyist * Corrupt Lobbyists Hank Sheinkopf * Corrupt Lobbyists Stanley Schlein * How Corrupt Parkside Get Away With It
* New York City mistakenly deposited nearly $300 million this week into the accounts of retired police officers and firefighters, according to Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office, Capital New York reports: http://goo.gl/4wElpB
Ex-Anthony Weiner Campaign Manager Among Those Tapped to Join New Comptroller’s Offfice(NYO)
NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer is exerting some independence from de Blasio. _____________________________________
* Incoming New York City comptroller Scott Stringer has given pink slips to 50 employees who worked for current comptroller John Liu, Capital New York reports:
Liu's Pension Memo to Stringer
Li
Will Stringer Go After Those Politically Connected Pension Managers?
Firms that manage the city’s five pension funds saw their fees skyrocket by 28 percent last year, a report has found. The $100 million single-year leap brought the city’s total fees to the private managers in fiscal year 2013 to $472.5 million.
Comptroller Scott Stringer
New
comptroller Scott Stringer says progressivism and fiscal responsibility
not mutually exclusive. When Stringer sez we shd "double down" on
homelessness, remember that @MikeBloomberg homeless budget almost doubled. Doubling again = $2bn. *
@danarubinstein
"I will audit every city agency to root out waste and abuse," promises
New York City's new comptroller * New NYC comptroller Scott Stringer
sticks with the day's theme of tacking inequality * We can double-down
on solving homelessness, on growing jobs and still protect our double A
bond rating * Stringer: "We can shelter every family in safe, affordable
homes, not
squalid shelters where 22K of our children will go to sleep" tonite. *
Stringer: pursuing a progressive agenda and being fiscally responsible
are not mutually exclusive.* Scott Stringer says he wants to transform
comptroller office into a think tank #Inaugnyc
* "I will audit every city agency to root out waste and abuse,"
promises New York City's new comptroller * Make no mistake: all we wish
to accomplish will not be easy. But there’s
a reason E.B. White once called NY 'a visible symbol of aspiration'* Colin Campbell
@BKcolin How many references to slavery were in that reverend's speech at the inauguration today? Lost count
Stringer Attacks Oil Company's Conservative Donations
NYC comptroller questions oil firm’s political giving(NYP) The New York City comptroller has asked a Texas oil company to explain why it has been connected to political donations that appear to have little to do with its energy business. Comptroller Scott Stringer, investment adviser and trustee to the $150 billion city pension funds, is questioning “both the magnitude and the corporate purpose” behind the Clayton Williams Energy Inc. donations to the National Rifle Association and American Crossroads, a conservative political action committee. He’s urging full disclosure to shareholders of all political spending, saying it poses “legal, reputational and operational risks.”
Stringer Attacks Oil Company's Conservative Donations
NYC comptroller questions oil firm’s political giving(NYP) The New York City comptroller has asked a Texas oil company to explain why it has been connected to political donations that appear to have little to do with its energy business. Comptroller Scott Stringer, investment adviser and trustee to the $150 billion city pension funds, is questioning “both the magnitude and the corporate purpose” behind the Clayton Williams Energy Inc. donations to the National Rifle Association and American Crossroads, a conservative political action committee. He’s urging full disclosure to shareholders of all political spending, saying it poses “legal, reputational and operational risks.”
What Happen to the Pension Reforms Announced in 2011 and Killed When Lui Investigation Became Public?
__________________________________________________________________________________
Comptroller Race Dirty $$$
John Burnett, the GOP candidate for NYC comptroller, wants his Democratic opponent, Manhattan BP Scott Stringer, to return campaign cash netted at a fashion fund-raiser featuring controversial photographer Terry Richardson.* Stringer Releases New Web Ad in Comptroller Race’s Closing Stretch(NYO)
Stringer Goes After IT Contract Corruption
Stringer to Increase Oversight of New York City’s Computerization Contracts(NYT)The city comptroller, Scott M. Stringer, is issuing a directive that he says will standardize how information technology contracts are handled across all city agencies. Comptroller Scott Stringer is moving to step up oversight of information technology contracts by issuing a directive that he claims will standardize how the contracts are handled across all city agencies
What Happen to the Criminal Investigation of 911 That Liu Called For?
Flashback Bungled 911 Call System Redo Cost Taxpayers Millions, Audit Finds(WNYC) The city’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications bungled the contract with by Hewlett Packard, Liu said, causing the upgrade to incur as much as a $362 million cost overrun over the initial budget for the integration. The comptroller’s report, based on a 15-month review, also found that the department allowed Hewlett Packard to “drastically mark up subcontractor bills resulting in questionable billing. Liu said he referred the audit to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. As reports of problems with the project surfaced, city records show that Hewlett Packard was spending six-figures to registered city lobbyists making the case for HP behind the scenes. HP advocates at the time included Comptroller Liu's campaign spokesman George Arzt , who billed HP $15,000 between 2007 and 2008, attorney Steven Polan and former Republican state legislator John Faso whose lobbying firm charged HP $167,000 for 17 months of procurement work. All three declined to comment.
Stringer Finally Fights for Respect
Stringer Goes After Hedge Fund Tax Shelters
Comptroller Stringer is calling for an end to what he describes as a tax loophole that allows New York City private equity firms, hedge funds and venture capital firms to keep several hundred million dollars a year in their coffers instead of giving it to the tax man. Comptroller Scott Stringer is calling for a measure to close a tax loophole benefitting hedge funds and private equity firms, but pushing it through the state Legislature could be difficult
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