From the Daily News:The City Council’s new point person in overseeing the $50 billion municipal budget didn’t do such a hot job overseeing a nonprofit group at the center of a Council slush fund scandal, records show.
Julissa Ferreras, the Queens Democrat who was named Wednesday as chairwoman of Council’s Finance Committee, headed the board of directors of LIBRE, the Latino Initiative for Better Resources and Empowerment, when it was looted by then-Councilman Hiram Monserrate.
As a Council member, Monserrate steered $300,000 in city funding to LIBRE and then diverted $109,000 of the money to pay people to work on his campaign for the state Senate.
He later pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud and mail fraud conspiracy charges for the scam.
In addition to serving as Monserrate’s handpicked chairwoman of LIBRE’s board, Ferreras was chief of staff in Monserrate’s City Council office.
The Council’s Finance Committee is highly influential, with oversight of the city budget — making the committee’s chairmanship one of the most sought-after positions in the legislative body.
Ferreras’ ascension to the post was seen as a reward for bucking the Queens Democratic Party by backing Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito’s successful campaign for Council speaker.
Ferreras declined Thursday to answer questions by the Daily News about her role at LIBRE at the time of Monserrate’s wrongdoing.
7 comments:
Looks like DiBlasio scores another big win. Prediction: This administration with be fraught with controversy.
I'm haunted that speaker missy would give positions to people without properly vetting them just because they supported her.The Blaz and his minions are hoping no one notices because they are dangling sticks with carrots like taxing the rich(deservedly),universal pre-K(why should toddlers need to go to school right away?)and affordable housing.there will be chaos.
Is Julie anyway haunted by one of her staffers being part of a ninja bike gang
What credentials do these people have that qualifies them to handle such large sums of money?
Are they CPA's or MBA's? These people seem like a bunch of chuckle-heads in way over their heads?
Credentials!?!?
We don't need no steenkeen credentials!!
The Queens Democrat named Wednesday as chairwoman of Council’s Finance Committee, to oversee the city's $50 billion budget, headed the board of the Latino Initiative for Better Resources and Empowerment when it was looted by the then-councilman.
I honestly can't tell if that opening sentence was meant to be ironic, or if the writers for The Onion also work for The Daily News.
Julissa Ferreras!!!
Another wise Latina!!!
Doing a job that white Queens Machine Hacks are no longer willing to do!!!
The ethical issues surrounding everyone associated with BeBlasio are too numerous to count.
Four years of scandal and criminality await us:
Julissa Ferreras
Melissa Mark-Viverito
Letitia James
All three will be indicted, removed from office or resign in a scandal within 4 years. You heard it here first.
How disappointing. I thought from the headline this was going to be about something else entirely.
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