The city's Conflicts Board fined former City Councilman Kendall Stewart $1,250 for hiring his chief of staff's daughter—and letting his chief of staff supervise her. According to the NY Times, Asquith "Reid’s daughter Sharon worked as a constituent liaison in Mr. Stewart’s district office from 2002 to 2008" and "earned about $30,000 in 2008." (Asquith Reid, who pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $200,000 of Council funds, was fined $2,500.) Jumaane Williams, who took Stewart's seat, said, "I don’t want to say that you should never hire your relatives, because that doesn’t make sense. But they have to have the best skills, and you have to make sure they are not unsupervised, so there are some barriers of accountability." more ›

Even though Mayor Bloomberg says he might be forced to lay off 18,500 city workers—including 8,500 teachers, 3,150 police officers, and 1,050 firefighters—he has hired 15 members of his campaign staff. The Times notes that as the Mayor calls for "a leaner government that reflects the economic downturn, he is finding money in the budget for those who engineered his unexpectedly close re-election," paying many of the City Hall newcomers six-figure salaries and allowing several other city workers who left their jobs to work on the campaign to return to their posts with higher pay. more ›

Now that Pedro G. Espada has resigned from his $120,000/year specially-created job (don't worry—he won't be paid for his few days of "work"), the spotlight has turned on some other expensive hires. The Post goes critical, reporting that "Amid the most severe fiscal crisis in recent memory and a state hiring freeze...Scratch-master Christopher Sealey was given a $120,000 salary by Senate President Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) in February to head up a five-member team dedicated to 'rebranding' the newly Democratic-controlled Senate." (The Daily News puts Sealey's salary at $100,760/year.) more ›

The next head coach of the Jets will be Rex Ryan, who will step down from his current post as the coordinator of the well-respected Baltimore Ravens defense. The Jets are reported to have made an offer almost immediately following the Ravens' loss to Pittsburgh in last night's AFC Championship. ESPN says that the terms are almost identical to the four-year, $11.5 million deal signed over the weekend by former Giants Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to become the new head coach of the St. Louis Rams. more ›