Wednesday, August 18, 2010

More lobbying shenanigans

From the NY Post:

Why lobby others when you can lobby yourself?

Two part-time city commissioners who work fulltime as lobbyists are paid tens of thousands of dollars by clients who stand to gain from the commissions on which their conflicted lobbyists serve.

Landmarks Preservation Commissioner Margery Perlmutter is on New York University's payroll to lobby for the school's large-scale expansion -- which first needs a green light from Perlmutter's commission, according to lobbying records.

Meanwhile, Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Harry Giannoulis is the president of a lobbying firm that represents an alternative-energy group that wants vehicles to run on biodiesel.

Perlmutter and two of her colleagues at the Bryan Cave lobby firm have been paid more than $42,000 by NYU to lobby the Landmarks Commission and seven other agencies for approval to build in the heart of Greenwich Village. Among its plans is a 385-foot skyscraper.

Perlmutter plans to recuse herself from the commission's vote, a source said.

Since joining the unpaid commission four years ago, Perlmutter has gained a reputation as pro-preservation and critical of high-rise projects like NYU's.

The city's Conflicts of Interest Board warned Perlmutter in 2006 to steer clear of landmark matters in her day job as a lawyer and lobbyist at Bryan Cave -- and not to share in her firm's profits from lobbying her commission.

Perlmutter told The Post there was no conflict because she claims her work for NYU is limited to the parts of the plan that don't require approval from her commission.

"There are many components -- it's a huge project -- and I'm not involved in the landmarks component," she said.

Giannoulis of the TLC lobbies for the National Biodiesel Board.

He declined to comment.

A source said the biodiesel group hired Giannoulis' Parkside Group to track heating-oil legislation, and that Parkside doesn't work on the biodiesel board's transportation agenda.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Speaking of the Parkside Group...how come "phony" Tony Avella never stuck it to them directly when he was a councilman and had some power?

Because he knew damn well he was going to return to the fold of the clubhouse when he gave up his "reform" political "crusade"!

And, of course as expected, now he's using them to run his political campaign.

Parkside, the Staviskys and the corrupt Queens machine have always RUN Tony. Make no mistake about it!

GO AND GET A REAL JOB TONY...just like the rest of us!

Never...he wants to remain on the government dole...muni or state...with those good benefits.

Be sure to vote for Padavan!