Library board-Quinn quid pro quo?

As the speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn, fought for extra funding for the city's libraries last year, her campaign coffers swelled with tens of thousands of dollars in donations from trustees of the New York Public Library.

Library Board Backs Quinn & Vice Versa

There is nothing illegal about the donations, which coincided with Ms. Quinn's public efforts to secure an additional $42.7 million in the city's budget to ensure city libraries could stay open at least six days a week. But the contributions illustrate the financial relationship that often springs up between the people who advocate for services and the elected officials who have the ability to deliver funding.

An initial wave of trustee contributions flowed into Ms. Quinn's campaign during the months leading up to her public declaration that she would advocate for more funding for libraries during her budget negotiations with Mayor Bloomberg. A second wave of contributions hit her campaign in the summer, after she successfully negotiated the funding boost to pay for the additional service hours.