Monday, November 19, 2007

Ex-CAU commish in lobbying probe

Lobbyists for some of the city's biggest corporations and developers are hiding the names of city employees they've tried to influence in apparent violation of the law, a Daily News probe has found.

Last January, a new was past requiring all lobbyists to list by name all city employees they've pressed to obtain tax breaks, zoning changes, contracts and other perks for their clients.

The News found 95% of the 264 lobbyists who filed reports this year failed to reveal the names of the so-called "targets" they lobbied on their registration forms.

As a result, the public has no way to know which levers most well-paid lobbyists are trying to pull for their powerful clients.

On Friday, Acting City Clerk Michael McSweeney, whose office monitors lobbyists, ordered an investigation to ensure the law is enforced in response to the ongoing News investigation of lobbyists.


New York City lobbyists probed

...there's Jonathan Greenspun, who left his job as commissioner of Mayor Bloomberg's community assistance unit in June 2006 and registered as a lobbyist for the firm FHGR.

The law prohibits former city employees from lobbying any city agency on matters in which they had personal involvement while city employees. None of Greenspun's filings reveals the names of the city employees he lobbied.

...records list Greenspun as one of several FHGR lobbyists lobbying the "Office of the Mayor" on behalf of several clients during the year he was supposed to be banned from doing so.

Shulman said she was unaware that she was required to list the names of those she lobbied on behalf of a Queens developer who wants to develop two sites in Forest Hills. When asked, she volunteered the name of city employee John Young.


John Young? CAU? A boro prez? Hmmm...

Let's remember that Patrick Brennan, Greenspun's successor as CAU director also left the position to become a lobbyist for the Parkside Group, and Parkside has been lobbying John Young for the St. Saviour's zoning change.

There may be more rats inside City Hall than outside.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

John Young is corrupt and so is Shulman. She's a relic of the Manes era, so what else should we expect?

Anonymous said...

Mighty John Young to you mista!

The devilish double talk boy from shity planning.

Anonymous said...

Democratic Dictionary

John: something full of crap.

John Young: something full of more crap.

Anonymous said...

Lay off John. His job is to mumblemumblemumblemumblemumblemumblemumblemumblemumblemumble

so the real folks never get a chance to speak.

Anonymous said...

This "law" is an open gift to lobbyists and their "targets".

Lobbying is protected by the First Amendment.

Employment - from the Mayor on down - enjoys no such protection.

Have every city employee (mayor on down) regularly report any and all contacts - in person, phone, email, etc. - from any other person not employed by the city.

No imposition at all. They all must report their progress and activities. Additionally reporting of any and all contacts will be no burden, and would be enlightening.

False reporting (or failure to report) should be a termination without pension offense as well as a felony.

You can detect the intent of the legislators who write such flimsy pieces of shit like this particular "law".

Anonymous said...

In addition to facing rape charges.....
C.M. Gallagher is already lobbying
on behalf of the "developers" who wish to destroy
the historic St. Saviour's site.

What a crooked system we have !

Anonymous said...

Do you mean John (take a deep breath after every other word) Young was lobbied by Claire (she's a man baby) Shulman?

Wow, I'd like to be a fly on the wall for that one.

Anonymous said...

Hey Butt-head... is that guy John Young from like the past. He-he-he-he-he-he-
He looks like the dude on my five dollar bill, you know the one I stole from my old man's wallet.

Beavis you idiot, that guy Young is like old, he thinks he's one of those dumbass beatniks. he-he-he-he-he

Really Butt-head, errrr-errr what's a beatnik? he-he

Beavis you dumbass, don't you know anything?
A beatnik is some dude who puts words together that kinda sound good but mean like really nothing. he-he-he-he-he

Right Butt-head, like those Beatles guys. he-he-he-he-he