Friday, May 28, 2010

Conflict-of-interest for Bloomberg

From the Daily News:

In 2008, Bloomberg took City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to a conference in Belfast on his jet, while then-Controller William Thompson and then-Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum had to fly coach.

City disclosure forms ask the question differently, though - and Quinn didn't list her trip.

Two longtime Bloomberg staffers (and occasional Air Bloomberg passengers) said they were stunned to hear the mayor gave a top agency head a lift to Florida for a vacation, not for work. After all, what's the difference between a boss giving his underling a lift on his jet and the boss giving his underling a couple of airline tickets?

The Conflicts of Interest Board declined to comment. In one of its advisories for city employees, though, the board offers this guidance: "If the gifts from the superior to a subordinate start to get fairly regular and extravagant, people may begin to wonder what kind of silence the superior is attempting to buy."

Bloomberg is a big fan of putting out information, except when it applies to his own operations, saying just last week: "Disclosure is the thing that keeps us free and keeps government honest."

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

"After all, what's the difference between a boss giving his underling a lift on his jet and the boss giving his underling a couple of airline tickets?"

What's the difference between a boss giving a lift on his jet and him giving them a weekend at the Borgata in Atlantic City with a few whores?

The difference is the free ride on the jet cost three times as much money.

Anonymous said...

Kelly gets free rides also...but no free lunch.....

Anonymous said...

This ride to an underling is much ado about nothing.

Anonymous said...

Maspeth Mom says...

What about a ride home in his car - is that wrong also?

For these people who lives globally - a airplane ride is not that big a deal to them, as it is to a person who takes a trip once a year.

When is it too much? Thats the line that needs to been drawn!!

Anonymous said...

If I, a NYC schoolteacher, tutored a kid who went to the school I work in, I could be brought up on CHARGES of CONFLICT OF INTEREST. This would be over a measly $50 or however much I'd earn. What's invoked for the underlings should be practiced by those who create that policy, shouldn't it? I'd end up in some godforsaken rubber room while Bloomberg continues his fascist greed driven march.

Anonymous said...

It doesn't really matter.

The conflict of Interests Board is under Bloomberg's control.

So who will investigate and serve out proper justice?

The Emperor Bloomberg (in imitation of his half pint hero figure Napoleon) has already formed his army of wealthy bankers, businessman, real estate moguls, developers, etc.

He'll soon be getting his 4th term and will finish the job riding roughshod over NYC until each & every neighborhood's individual character has been obliterated.

We hear he's looking for a new wife (Josephine) to crown his empress!

(But we also hear a drag queen will more than do for him).

Jeffrey Tastes said...

a ride on a private jet is not that big a deal to bloomberg, but what he doesn't realize is that it's a huge deal to impressionable representatives. or maybe he does realize it.

Anonymous said...

Geese, where are you??? Good time to take out your revenge. Best of luck.