April 4, 2008
City Council Budgeted $17.4 Million For Fake Groups
What was supposed to be a rainy day now seems more like a category 3 hurricane fund, as the story of the City Council's practice of distributing money to fake community groups unravels. It turns out that since 2001, $17.4 million has been allocated to the fake groups, with $4.7 million set aside in 2007 and 2008.
At a press conference, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn explained she learned of the practice last spring and told the finance staff to stop. However, the practice continued, so she turned over documents to the authorities. Quinn said, "I was obviously deeply troubled when I found out about this information." The two top finance people left the office.
According to the Times, the fund was originally supposed to be a way for the City Council to have money in reserve "to fill future gaps at agencies," giving it "control over some spending" and would help avoid "any messy battles with the mayor’s office when funds ran short." Quinn added, "We can confirm that the listing under fictitious organizations has gone back to 2001," which means it happened under former Speakers Gifford Miller and Peter Vallone Sr. Why did it start? Well, apparently then Mayor Giuliani "refused to negotiate" on the budget, so, a former Vallone aide explained to the Daily News, "we created four or five bogus groups."
One of the beneficiaries of the phantom group money was the Friends of the Highline, which Quinn says was accidentally left off the real budget. And Mayor Bloomberg said he didn't know about the phantom groups receiving funds, "If I found there were fake organizations in there, do you really think that I would sign the budget? Thank you very much. I would hope you'd expect a little more from me, for goodness sake." Hmm, do groups like "Stand New York," "Movie Up, Building Bridges," and "Greater New York Cleaning Program" sound fake? (Here's a list.)
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The politicians who supported this activity should be imprisoned for a very long time.
This is pure corruption, and has no place in civil society.
Quinn should've realized it when one of the groups was listed as "Kong Dong and French Tickler Foundation"
If this is true, I hope people go to jail for a long time. Its blatant fleecing of taxpayers.
So, who else wants to be mayor?
i'm not exactly sure how this is illegal. this might be unethical, but it's not like people were pocketing this money for themselves.
they basically used it for pork barrel sending in the districts of those council members who they needed to convince to vote for unpopular measures. how do you think legislation gets passed in DC?
It was an honest mistake. Just because perhaps maybe her girlfriends made a few extra mil doesn't make her a bad candidate for Mayor. That's what politicians need to do to succeed. Give her a break, or is it brake?
smh, that is illegal. besides the fact that setting up these false entities is also illegal since they do not have legitimate tax IDs. Quinn has been a wreck, but she makes a fitting head for the city council which has been a circus of clowns.
How is this Quinn"s fault?
How is this Quinn"s fault?
For one thing, the article says Quinn learned of the practice last spring and told the finance staff to stop, so she admits being aware of it.
Whether or not she's directly involved, it's certainly her responsibility. I mean, wtf, millions of dollars being channeled into fake organizations??
We're supposed to just say "oh, those silly politicians" and forget about it??? Where is the accountability? Outrageous.
$4 million for The Human Fund?
Hmmmm...
Let politicians seize our money and redistribute it to buy your votes and what do you think will happen?
Then we see the city complain about a lack of money.
PBRK, since Quinn was involved in allocated those funds, she knew very well what was going on. At her level, I doubt she is going to find some underling willing to fall on their sword for her. This is her problem and she'll need to account for it. Saying others have done it in the past also doesn't put her in the clear, it just underscores what a problem the city council and the machinations of city taxes are.
What's the difference between dumping funds into fake groups and giving it to jackasses like Charles Barron's staff of would-be-assassins, anti-police militants and race-baiting attorneys? I'd prefer to see bags of money literally dumped into the Hudson after being used as toilet paper.
Bloomberg knew. This stuff gets out and around city hall quickly. Especially with Bloomberg's staff.
You see what corruption lies within the people who have given such programs like west side rail, atlantic development, congestion pricing, astro turf your east river park and call it enviornmentalism....
But hey......If you trust the MTA to use 350 million to your benefit and use it wisely....screw drinking the kool-aid, you drank the drug tainted water too much........suckaz
And you want to think NYC was all that....
No Protesting now the City Council will have the Police arrest you! Disorderly mofos....
pony up tax payers I gotta communtiy group that will support congestion pricing if we give them money for an after-school program.....thta is actually a way to pay off civic leader to support policy that does nothing "healthy" for anyone other then those in power and their patrons....
Quinn is my Coucil person and I never voted for her.......and Hope she gets her arse handed to her....I smell a lobbying job or a directorship at Bloomberg LP for the Fish loving selll out....
what an example to set for transparent government....fukkin shill