Comrie on top, Crowley at the bottom

From the Daily News:

City Councilman Leroy Comrie was once again the borough’s big winner in the annual battle for discretionary funds.

Comrie, the deputy majority leader of the City Council and head of its Queens delegation, received $1.1 million in funds for senior, youth, cultural and other programs.

“I received over $3 million in requests,” said Comrie (D-St. Albans). “I direct most of the money to groups that are taking care of south Queens residents even if it’s a citywide or borough-wide program.”

Individual lawmakers receive so-called member items as part of the annual city budget to fund nonprofit and civic groups in their districts.

The Queens delegation, under Comrie, also controls how additional borough-wide funds are distributed.

Comrie, who is credited by his colleagues for his even-handed approach, also benefits from a close relationship with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan).
Those who don’t can end up at the bottom of the list.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) received $378,321 — about half of what she received a year ago. In fact, the only person lower than Crowley on the citywide list is scandal-plagued Councilman Larry Seabrook, who is barred from handling any discretionary funds in his district.

Crowley reportedly angered Quinn by going “rogue” and running in the Democratic congressional primary for the 6th Congressional District seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Gary Ackerman.

Comforting to know that your district's funding is dependent on whether or not the speaker has personal problems with your council member, isn't it?

Now let's see who's being funded with our tax dollars. From the Daily News:

The vast majority of senior centers, advocacy groups and Little Leagues that stand to collect cash from a $50 million City Council slush fund appear to be legitimate, but at least 39 of them are so badly run, they’ve had their tax-exempt status revoked. The groups lost their status for failing to file a tax return for three straight years.

Losing tax-exempt status should be a red flag for anyone considering making a charitable donation, he said. Yet more than two dozen Council members earmarked cash for the questionable groups — including Finance Committee Chairman Domenic Recchia.

The Brooklyn Democrat, who is widely reported to be considering a run for city controller next year, sponsored $25,000 in funding for two groups that lost their status. He did not respond to requests for comment.

Another Brooklyn Democrat, Diana Reyna, sponsored $27,500 in pork for three groups that failed to file their returns, but said she counts on Council staff to root out suspect recipients.