From the Daily News:A city agency is running rogue in Queens, a newly elected lawmaker is charging.
The Buildings Department filed paperwork asserting its inspectors tried to get access to more than 500 homes in College Point and Flushing to check for illegal conversions in a two-month span - including Councilman-elect Dan Halloran's residence.
Halloran, who just won a seat in the 19th Council District, said records show an inspector twice tried to access his Flushing home.
But he said he never got an "LS-4 No Access" notice - posted when inspectors fail to gain entry twice - suggesting no one ever came. His own case raises troubling questions, he said, about how many of the other inspections were actually conducted.
But a Buildings Department official denied the allegation.
"Our records indicate that we responded to every one of the 538 illegal-conversion complaints within Community Board 7 in October and November," said spokesman Tony Sclafani, adding that forms were posted and mailed to each address after the failed attempts.
The spike in attempted inspections is part of the agency's effort to rake in more revenue, Halloran charged, noting that some of the structures that allegedly had illegally converted apartments were demolished years ago.
One College Point address that had an attempted inspection almost three months ago had been condemned in 2006, Halloran said, citing agency records.
"They're looking to push their numbers up," he said. "This is disgraceful."
Halloran said he plans to call for a probe of the agency by state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown and the city Department of Investigation.
"I would love to have more people in the Buildings Department doing inspections," Halloran said. "Real ones - ones that actually take place."
24 comments:
Dan, you're off to a good start!
Corruption! Dan, where did you learm the lesson? County?
Thanks...Councilman elect Halloran!
Coercing honest property owners with DOB/Gestapo tactics...while convicted felons like Tommy Huang & Son get off easy...deserves a FEDERAL investigation by the FBI's anti corruption unit as well as a state look-see by Andrew Cuomo!
I hope that after NYS looks into the quasi mafia DOB...you can ask that the feds take up the matter.
We'd be glad to cooperate with the feds as we have in the past to present further evidence of collusion with the mob.
We'll come forward when you come forward with a federal probe.
Good job Dan!
Go get 'em!
This fellow hasn't yet taken the oath of office and he's already earned more then 4 years of salary.
Congratulations, Dan Halloran!
Now dump Ragusa. He's the enemy. He'll never be the friend of the taxpayers you represent.
Look at this guy Halloran. What kind of man under 40 dyes his hair that weird shocking red ?
I mean cmon. The pagan thing. everything else. this guy is a bomb waiting to explode.
Leave Dan alone. I think he'll be a great Councilmember.
Jealous much?
You know, some of the strangest guys get the best results. Compare Teddy Roosevelt who was a bit of an oddball with Taft, his more conventional successor.
Yeah, baby go after the DOB and make all the self-certified projects subject to review to weed out the illegally approved CO's and go after the architects who signed off on it along with the DOB certification.
A number of years ago someone called in a complaint about my cellar ... the two times the inspectors came to the door, they rang the bell (probably after sticking the LS 4 on it) and rushed back to their cars to flee. In one instance, the inspector stuck the LS 4 to a trellis in a flower pot on the steps.
Fortunately we caught the inspector on one of these hasty visits and he had to turn his car's engine off and check the basement to see our storage area sans living quarters!
Please hire Americans to work as DOB inspectors. Majority of the inspectors are from the Carribean or Russia.
Having third world people employed means they are importing corruption tactics from their countries. When they come upon one of their country men, they do them a favor by not reporting properly.
Maybe there should be an audit of all illegal dwelling, basement or attic, where inspector claims no access or gate is locked.
the DOB could then send inspectors back to all those address's. Check other records such as phone lines in the house.
In Queens it's totally blatant with eight or ten Con Ed meters stuck on the outside of a one family house. That should tell you something is wrong, that one family does not need so many Con Ed accounts.
Auntie Invasion, what is your definition of "American"? You are a disgraceful racist. Comments like yours completely discredit and disgrace the well-intentioned movement to preserve neighborhoods and eliminate waste and fraud from government, which is what this issue is about.
Dig your heels in, Dan. The usual clubhouse is now going to come after you with everything they have!
Dig your heels in, Dan. The boys and girls from the clubhouse are now going to come after you with everything they have!
Congratulations to Dan Halloran. Finally, a politician with testicles. He is not the usual status quo politician. There are so many things wrong in our borough, yet once in office, these politicians don't right the wrongs. I hope you take the DOB ball and run with it. Weed out the corruption so firefighters don't die at fires in illegal apartments.
Job well done Dan!
Almost everyone I spoke with in our neighborhood had received an inspection notice.
Our neighborhood is predominately one family homes with average home values of $750,000+, and our neighbors are NOT renting their basements. Older two family structures are scattered here and there. Many families are here since the houses were built.
WHY did the DOB target us to begin with? We are probably one of the least likely areas to have basement renters.
"To increase their numbers"? What is the DOBs gain? They are not gaining access I assume most of the time so they couldn't have gained much in the way of fines.
I don't understand - What EXACTLY is this all about?
I don't understand - What EXACTLY is this all about?
Money and vindictiveness.
Anonymous said - "Money and vindictiveness".
ok - but, who is getting revenge on who? . . . . AND the money is from the homeowners in the way of fines? or are people are being paid off? i.e. MORE info please.
P.S. thanks for your response.
hmmmmm
Is the DOB deliberately turning a blind eye in more populated (and more likely to have illegal conversions) neighborhoods because of payoffs and/or favors for certain builders?
If so, they would then have to prove they are doing SOMETHING for their paychecks so they target areas that are LEAST likely to have illegal conversions - just to "up the numbers" . . . . . is this correct?
I'm glad I voted for Dan Halloran not Kevin Kim.....at least Halloran's not part of the machine...yet.
after three 60' x 100' lots were developed into six 30'x100' two family brick boxes, the d.o.b.inspectors told me that the we, one family homeowners ,had been falsely reported for violations,by the builders. he guessed? because we had reported the builders violations. my block in Bayside has been converted from one & two family homes with lawns,into a transient rental, concrete parking car lot.many many trees were destroyed to sgueeze the bricks into the space.
the new dwellings are leaking constantly,
and renters move out.they are conned by their Asian landlords. no mercy for their own
do not give up, CM D.Halloran. many have initiated
this investigation in the past . your persistence should help to solve it.
I would like to see another community effort - a parade or a large gathering in one of the parks in protest - and in the Spring of course (it's too cold now).
Only the Feds can stop the DOB. The quagmire of local politicians that look the other way in Queens should be next on their list, just like what was done in New Jersey. New Jersey's corruption is nothing compared to what's been going on in New York for the last 10 years.
Before the crooked Asian bribe taking DOB inspectors...there were those "stalwart" Italian DOB inspectors that took bribes to forge false reports also.
Every ethnicity has had their turn.
This is definitely a case for the feds.
The DOB is little more than an organized crime affiliate of NY mobsters that operates freely under the "careful" watch of NYC elected officials!
This bribery money chain has fed many a pol's campaign.
Bring on the "RICO" statutes and prosecute the hell out of these crooks.
Then give a good enema to the whole damned DOB!
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