We read with great interest Councilman Jim Gennaro's response (which appeared in all Queens weekly newspapers in mid-February) to the open letter we wrote to Governor Spitzer, published in the Fresh Meadows Times on January 17, 2008 and we wish to reply as follows.Your answer highlights in great detail the many attempts you made at addressing the SJU Henley Road dorm project, and included quotes from our local newspapers attesting to your commitment. Unfortunately, you failed to address our principal question relating to the ethics of your accepting campaign donations from the Kamali Organization, the developers that are building the St. John's dorm. It is a fact that the same weekly newspapers that documented your efforts, questioned your judgment when accepting donations from this very same organization, the one from which you were allegedly defending the community.
In an article entitled "Gennaro Likes Dinero" Queens Chronicle, September 13,2007, the same quotes constituents stating "that you talk out of both sides of your mouth" and when questioned, you defended accepting Kamali's donation by pointing out that every elected official in New York City takes contributions from developers. "Pricey Politicians" which appeared in the Times Ledger, September 8, 2007, disclosed that the single biggest donor to your campaign was the Kamali Organization. The Queens Courier September 27, 2007 article "St. John's Dorm has Neighbors Seeing Red" states that when you were asked about Kamali Developers' donations to your campaign you dismissively replied "we all have to raise campaign funds."
We understand that raising funds is important to all politicians, but you can not be an "ardent opponent to the dorm project and vigorously advocate for what is in the best interest of the community" and claim to be "working on changing the zoning laws so as to discourage dorm projects in residential communities" all the while accepting donations from the developers.
We personally feel that this is a conflict of interest. Why would the Kamali Organization, a Great Neck based firm, make campaign donations to a Queens politician, unless they were expecting favors in return?
Sincerely,
Maria and Louis Collier
7 comments:
What a crooked bastard! He's not working hard for your community, he's working hard for his wallet. Good luck with your battle with SJU.
Why would the Kamali Organization, a Great Neck based firm, make campaign donations to a Queens politician, unless they were expecting favors in return?
The answer is self evident
I checked his list of campaign donations and it appears that about half are from developers.It is a shame that your community has to put up with the dorm situation as well as this guy! Keep up the good work or Jamaica Estates will become a big SJ campus
I checked his list of campaign donations and it appears that about half are from developers.It is a shame that your community has to put up with the dorm situation as well as this guy! Keep up the good work or Jamaica Estates will become a big SJ campus
Jimmy "the gent" Gennaro
is one of those political mob cappos
that owes his allegiance to "il cappo di tutti cappi"....
NYC's real estate dons....
who in turn extort money from our neighborhoods
by burying us up to our necks
in a shit mound of over development!
How appropriate.....
an Italian (Sicilian, perhaps?) skeevfioso mafioso
who's pimping for a Catholic "college".
H-m-m-m.....a page right out of "The Godfather".....
almost clasic!
Keep up the good work, Colliers. It's good to see someone fighting for the neighborhood at last. While you're at it, can the people who run the Association.
WOW!!!! Jim how utterly disappointed I am with your behavior. SHAME ON YOU!!! and you claim you love the community. I think you only love $$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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