Fifteen current and former City Council members promised to donate their annual taxpayer-funded bonuses to charity in recent years — but only three could offer any proof they had, a Post review found.
Despite being given at least three weeks to show that they put their money where their mouths were, only Councilmen Eric Ulrich (D-Queens) and Steve Levin (D-Brooklyn) and former Councilwoman Gale Brewer, now Manhattan borough president, could do so. They provided a mix of donation lists and thank-you notes as proof.
The remaining dozen officials — who have been public credited with not pocketing the annual political handouts from the council speaker of $4,000 to $28,000 — declined to offer documentation, provided scant detail of recipients or ignored The Post’s requests entirely.
The bonuses, known as “lulus,” are doled out to members who take leadership roles or otherwise curry favor with the speaker.
This included Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Queens), who for eight weeks was unable to provide a single receipt documenting what he has done with the $60,000 in lulus he has been allocated since 2010.
It was only after a Post reporter confronted him in person that Van Bramer’s office provided a short list of recipients, including the NAACP of Astoria and the 108th Precinct Community Council, but no amounts, dates or documentation.
Those two groups confirmed they had received donations of $100 each from Van Bramer.
But his minimal list was more than what was offered by the bulk of council members, who provided no detail of charitable giving from their bonuses.
Those include current Public Advocate Letitia James, Mathieu Eugene and Darlene Mealy of Brooklyn; Fernando Cabrera of The Bronx; Julissa Ferreras, Karen Koslowitz, Ruben Wills, and Peter Koo of Queens; and Rosie Mendez of Manhattan.
Why can't they just check their tax returns?
17 comments:
Liars and crooks,what do you expect.
This guy learned the ropes at the feet of evicted library trustee George Stamatiades.
Prances around the community telling everyone that he is a cultural leader of NYC and Queens - all he does is give millions to a handful of institutions that should have long ago learned to stand on their own two feet.
Meanwhile the culture scene in his community is on life support from his lack of support.
In the meantime, cannot wait for the time his record with the library becomes public.
There's culture in Queens?
There is culture in Queens?
Yes, did you not know it was the original home of Dannon Yogurt?
Cheap, lying, penurious scumbags.
Chocolate factory - absolutely outrageous and totally out of proportion considering that 95% of the cultural institutions in his district get squat.
Did Eric Ulrich s witch parties? The Post identified him as a Democrat.
It doesn't matter, he will be reelected over and over again
Why are they getting "lulus" in the first place? isn't their salary enough to do the job they were elected to?
When he was running for office, Koo promised to donate his salary to charity.
Anemic.
Culture in Queens.
Was down by the Astoria Park "Festival" last Sunday: people doing zumba, a guy teaching 2 kids how to play "Row,row, row your boat" on a ukele and 5 empty blue pop-up tents with nothing going on underneath.
And for this the cops shut down Shore Blvd and also for the next 2 Sundays.
Culture? Anemia.
Did Eric Ulrich s witch parties? The Post identified him as a Democrat
He's a Republican whom the Democratic machine has allowed to live in order to keep the few white communities with the spine to cut those politicians' balls off from actually doing so.
I think the festival is over.
"Lie-lies on lulus"
Lies + lulus = John Liu.
Asking the politicians for proof? This is knowable immediately upon a routine request for these politicians' COIB filings. The NY Post should know this. Are the editors and analysts there all asleep at the wheel? Sheesh...
Are the editors asleep at the wheel?
No, they take ads and cultivate 'access' to news.
I am PROUD of my record .... blah blah blah.
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