Thursday, April 16, 2015

REBNY's ridiculously deep pockets

From Capital New York:

Members of the Real Estate Board of New York and their firms gave $21.7 million in campaign contributions to state-level elections in the last cycle, accounting for more than 10 percent of the money that entered the campaign finance system.

This money, which represents only some of the political spending by New York’s real estate industry, crossed party lines and benefitted both the Republicans who control the State Senate and Governor Andrew Cuomo. According to Capital's analysis of political giving, Cuomo and his allied committees received the majority of donations from members of the real estate magnate.

Cuomo has previously pledged to reduce the influence of money in politics, but in his latest round of reform negotiations, he said one measure pushed by good-government groups—closing a “loophole” whereby the Board of Elections treats limited liability companies as individuals—was too controversial for discussion. The Board of Elections will reconsider its interpretation at a Thursday meeting.

And major issues for REBNY are expected to loom large for lawmakers when they reconvene later this month. It has strong positions on several issues sunsetting in June, including the 421a and J-51 tax abatement programs as well as rent control in New York City, which developers oppose expanding.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

What came first Corruption or Politics, who ever invented Government was an Evil Genius.

Anonymous said...

So the real estate industry controls our elected officials. Why is this a shocker?

Anonymous said...

De Blasio is in REBNY's pocket.
Locally, Paul Vallone is their watch fob.
Beware, Broadway!

The only solution to this kind of crap is that voters have to learn to be smarter. Research your candidate thoroughly.
This is most easily done today, thanks to the computer age.

Anonymous said...

REBNY is particularly dedicated to the further dumbing down of Queeens....if that's at all possible. How do you dumb down a borough below an existing IQ of 80?

Queeens is the foremost developers' paradise in NYC.
It has a lot of underutilized properties connected by safe neighborhoods.

Anonymous said...

Caucasians are supposed to migrate all so,the smart ones left,the ones that stayed are the Neandathals,
Remember what happened to them.

Anonymously Grey Gardens said...

I would liken Queens County (and the corrupt and hyper controlling politicians who continue to decimate this former borough of bucolic glory), to a Greek tragedy, but it's more closely modeled after the fall of the Roman Empire. Now, I understand why Queens is referred to as the borough of cemeteries---because it's been slowly dying since before the arrival of 'Triumph Of Civic Virtue's unveiling at Kew Gardens Plaza, in 1941. And, now that any pretense of Civic Virtue has been altogether banished--not to mention the statue itself that symbolized triumph over corruption and vice is gone from the now blighted and abandoned Kew Gardens Plaza, of more than two staggering years---the corrupt and unaccountable political feeding frenzy at Borough Hall (and beyond), is in free fall mode, where taxpayer freedom and democracy has been involuntarily replaced with a government that is empowered from within by Neo-Fascism, that operates in unison of police state pandemonium. Welcome to Queens: The official, new Fourth World!

Anonymous said...

I do not care who runs NY,who pays tax or who doesn't, who collects welfare or any other entitlement,who overloads hospital ERs for free healthcare (that you pay for) or how overcrowded schools are with children who can't speak English,disrupt learning and get free breakfast,lunch and dinner and cry Racism all I care about is my Union keeps buying the best Dirty Politician in $1000 dollar suits who can be gay,bisexual,pervert,married with a mistress or likes getting spanked with an electric padle in a diaper,
I want the guy who my money buys to take your money and gives it to me and my Union,
SORRY IF YOU CANT AFFORD PROPERTY TAX INCREASE OR MORTGAGE, SELL AND LET THE NEXT CHUMP PAY SO LONG AS I GET MINE
ONCE A CONSERVATIVE NOW A DEMACRAT AND LOVING IT
NOW PAY ME.

Anonymous said...

If you can't beat them,join them,your going too lose anyway so stop pulling the wagon and get on!!
Its a free ride.