From the Queens Tribune:Deputy Borough President Barry Grodenchik is stepping down from his position to launch a bid for borough president.
Grodenchik, who is leaving Borough President Helen Marshall’s executive staff to solely be the director of community boards, will now be able to raise money for his borough president campaign because the New York City Charter precludes deputy borough presidents from raising money for political campaigns.
Grodenchik, a former Flushing assemblyman, created a campaign account and recently spoke with Queens Democratic Party Chair U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) about the possibility of receiving the party’s endorsement. A pivotal decision on which candidate the Democratic Party backs is many months away, but insiders believe Grodenchik would not be running unless he knew he would be receiving Crowley’s endorsement.
From Willets Point United:
We could not conceive of a more frightening idea-or an individual less qualified to represent the interests of the citizens of Queens. Grodenchik, after all, is a long time sidekick to Claire Shulman and was the go-to lobbyist for the Parkside Group when the proverbial stuff hit the fan about the illegal lobbying done by Shulman-aided and abetted by Grodenchik's firm. In what was a fascinating coincidence, Grodenchik took a powder from Parkside right when the controversy began in the summer of 2009.
What has never been told publicly is that the Shulman LDC listed the payments to Parkside as "marketing money," and not the lobbying expenditures that the money was used for. So in essence Grodenchik and Parkside were right in the middle of the illegal scheme-co conspiritors, as it were.
What's clear is that Grodenchik is a perfect continuation of the longstanding Queens tradition of anointing hacks to the BP position. Were he ever to win a race, the lobbyists and special interests will be salivating while the citizens of the borough will be left holding the bag.
14 comments:
Eraserhead.
This guy is incompetent of running a lemonade stand.
He is very unapproachable and never answers his email or returns calls. Another overpaid freeloader!
Kukla Fran and Ollie and Grodenchick.
Where did mine bissel boychick get his hairdo,
at Katz's deli?
He looks like a salami head with a puppet's coiffure.
Following in the footsteps of BPs who are obedient to developers' commands...this beacon of mediocrity will surely be a credit to Queens.
Lord help us. Vote for Vallone!
Do you have to look like a gnome to be a high level Queens politician?
Look at the rogues gallery of UGLIES....
Shulman, Stavisky...now Grodenchick?
Gag....up-chuck...get thee to the toilet bowl....and quickly!
He's a schlub...
And remember folks, let's all demand of the candidates for Beep where do they stand on ELIMINATING Ed Koch's name from our beloved Queensboro Bridge.
Join me in making this a campaign issue. Stick it to that vile Manhattanite Bloomberg!
Here's your chance, Republicans. Are you going to go for it, or is it just business as usual? Are you going to be R.I.N.Os or are you going to make an effort?
From wikipedia on borough presidents:
The city charter was revised in 1990 and the Board of Estimate was abolished. The Office of Borough President was retained but with greatly reduced power. The borough budget reverted to the mayor or the New York City Council. A Borough President has a small discretionary budget to spend on projects within the borough. The last significant power of the borough presidents—to appoint a member of the New York City Board of Education —was abolished, with the board, on June 30, 2002.
The two major remaining appointments of a Borough President are one member of the city Planning Commission and one member of the Panel for Educational Policy. Borough Presidents generally adopt specific projects to promote while in office; but, since 1990, Borough Presidents have been seen mainly as the ceremonial leaders of their boroughs. Officially, they advise the Mayor on issues relating to each borough, comment on all land-use items in their borough, advocate borough needs in the annual municipal budget process, appoint Community Boards, chair the Borough Boards, and serve as ex officio members of various boards and committees They generally act as advocates of their boroughs at the mayoral agencies, the city council, the New York State government, public corporations and private businesses."
Electing a borough president is about as meaningful as voting for someone to win Dancing with the Stars or American Idol. It doesn't really matter who wins the office next year; the power in this city delineates, for better or worse, from City Hall.
Electing a borough president is about as meaningful as voting for someone to win Dancing with the Stars or American Idol. It doesn't really matter who wins the office next year; the power in this city delineates, for better or worse, from City Hall.
-----
I beg to differ. There are several other very important powers of the Borough President that have not been mentioned here:
1) The power to appoint or remove all Community Board members in Queens. This is important, because the amount of tweeding that goes on is aided and abetted by some of those people. If we had a decent BP, getting some of these criminals removed and replaced with honest citizens could actually happen.
2) The Borough President also has significant land use powers. While they are only advisory, they can definitely influence a proposed zoning change rather significantly. Also, the Borough Board, which is comprised of all Council Members, Community Boards and the Borough President, has significant powers, including the selling or transferring of public property (think alienation of parkland, folks). The Borough President presides over the Borough Board and has significant sway over it.
3) The Borough President gets 5% of the Capital Budget. Last year, that was approximately 2 billion dollars.
In my book, money and land are power. If you don't think this stuff is important, then you have a hole in your head.
Paul Graziano
Well, I wouldn't buy a used car from Grodenchick!!!
Grodenchick – putz
Paul stated:
"3) The Borough President gets 5% of the Capital Budget. Last year, that was approximately 2 billion dollars."
- - - - -
Where did the $2 billion go? do we know how the $$ was spent?
From what I understand, he used to work with the former Boro president and resurfaced about two years ago in order "to deal with those Willets point people", and start gearing up for his assent into the position when the current boror presidents term is up.
From what I've been told, he also worked closely with McLaughlin and manes.
Post a Comment