Eleven of the 51 members refuse the [lulu] money on the principle that all lawmakers should be paid the same, as is the case in Congress for everyone from the least to the most senior.
Here are the local heroes: Jimmy Van Bramer of Queens, who turns back $20,000 yearly; Brad Lander from Brooklyn and Dan Garodnick of Manhattan, who say no to $15,000 each; and Rory Lancman of Queens, Alan Maisel, Carlos Menchaca and Mark Treyger of Brooklyn, Andy Cohen of the Bronx, Ben Kallos, Mark Levine and Helen Rosenthal of Manhattan, all of whom relinquish $8,000.
Despite having told this Editorial Board or the good-government group Citizens Union that lulus should be limited only to the top leadership, six members pocket the money: Corey Johnson and Ydanis Rodriguez of Manhattan, Daneek Miller, Danny Dromm and Paul Vallone of Queens and Vinny Gentile of Brooklyn.
Seventeen supposed reformers take the money and claim without proof to donate it to charity: From Brooklyn, Robert Cornegy, David Greenfield, Antonio Reynoso, Darlene Mealy, Mathieu Eugene, Rafael Espinal, Chaim Deutsch and Inez Barron. From Queens, Costa Constantinides, Julissa Ferreras, Peter Koo, Karen Koslowitz and Eric Ulrich. From the Bronx, Fernando Cabrera and Ritchie Torres. From Staten Island, Debi Rose. From Manhattan, Inez Dickens.
The rest of the Council makes no bones about grabbing the cash even as they cheapen their offices.
26 comments:
THEY WORK NOT FOR THE PEOPLE BUT RATHER FOR THEMSELVES.
They work for the developers who give them campaign donations and in some cases outright bribes to them and family members. Particularly if a hack has recent immigrant roots he/she can tell the donor to deposit the bribe off shore in say a Jamaican or a Chinese bank. No one ever knows and the hack spends the money on a vacation back in the Caribbean or uses it to build a house "back home"
And he gets to keep his day job of practicing law.
The entire city council (like entrenched Albany itself), is a pathological, treasonous, exclusionary scourge of sadistic, deadbeat, hustling sociopathy that unlawfully practices 'selective' and 'occasional' representation, with a vengeful impunity, while they hire their personal friends and family, while dedicating the lion's share of time and work to their shady law practices---clearly a conflict of interest, as Albany criminal sociopath Sheldon Silver will soon be rightfully imprisoned for such egregious betrayals of public trust and integrity.
Worse, even the global chapters of organized crime could never attempt to rival the stranglehold that this Neo-Fascist, Neo-Bolshevist city council continues to foist upon its purportedly free people---where freedom and democracy are not nearly as free and democratic as they used to be.
In tragic conclusion, the whole, mendacious council (like all politicians themselves, who've irreparably and irreversibly corrupted New York State government, that doesn't lead by example of honest, ethical leadership), devalues all honesty itself---and the public be eternally damned (again, still, always and forevermore)!
As I have previously lamented, welcome to Queens County---the new, official gateway capital of (and to) the Fourth World!
Wattsamatta consigliere Vallone? Dona we pay you enough money to approve our development projects already?
You eat ta too much, maybe in fancy ristorante? You gonna draw too mucha attention to our little side deals, walyo!
Is anyone surprised that political mafioso Vallone keeps his lulus?
It's all about Paulie. Fuck the constituents. This spoiled "don" needs to be taken to the woodshed.
Only you voters can stop him from screwing you with a second term.
Don't worry about his Fort Totten firework show.
Maybe one of the Gotti family will pay for them. He took that move from the dapper don's playbook anyway.
Give them fireworks and they will like you.
It's no surprise that Vallone has gone back on his word on lulus. It's happened so many times since he was elected that this is almost a given.
Fireworks and parades. That's what he wants people to remember, not all of the work he's doing on behalf of his clients (developers and the like) while he pretends to work for you at the City Council.
He needs to go. People in northeast Queens better get their act together and vote this fool out of office, or he's going to keep on fooling you!
Does anybody actually believe Van Bramer doesn't take the money?
It's easy to say that "Paulie must go" - and I agree - but where is the opposition? Will anyone challenge him from within the Democratic Party? Will the Republicans nominate a candidate that can actually win?
I was very impressed with Helen Rosenthal a year or two ago when she really gave Tom Galante a hard time and made him squirm during the City Council's hearing about his salary and spending. And to learn that she refuses the lulu is even better. Wish we had a few more like her in NE Queens.
It's easy to say that "Paulie must go" - and I agree - but where is the opposition? Will anyone challenge him from within the Democratic Party? Will the Republicans nominate a candidate that can actually win?
Paulie V. MUST go, and my guess is that there will be a serious challenger in 2017. Stay tuned.
and what did Paulie spend the money on, certainly not singing lessons for his daughter
Everybody who gets matching funds thinks he or she is a serious contender in any election. They are extremely serious in their own minds.
Paulie will sweep the northeast again. Which challager came close to beating Paulie's ass last time around?
Come on....Paulie is an incumbent with a serious army and formidable war chest. Trying to unseat an incumbent is like trying to push a two ton Boulder uphill by yourself. Those are the facts...like it or not...even if the fickle civic associations back you.
Who's gonna nickel and dime this county supported powerhouse out of his job? The best that any challager can hope for is that they will top the list of other challengers for coming in first place among them.
The story indicates that Rory Lancman declined lulus in the amount of $8,000.00. If I remember correctly, didn't the Queens County Democratic organization back his wife for a Civil Court judgeship? The salary of a NYC Civil Court Judge is $159,900.00. Between him and his wife, they are collecting close to $300,000.00 per year from the public trough. So, how magnanimous is the declination of $8,000.00 in lulus? I think the public should wake up and not be swayed by the clever spin put on facts to make the politicians look good, when venality seems to be the name of the game played by the dominant political organizations in Queens County.
Good for Rory and wife for being successful. Most people spend their whole lives trying to get there. I think they get paid a great salary for doing great work. They deserve it.
Everybody who gets matching funds thinks he or she is a serious contender in any election. They are extremely serious in their own minds.
Paulie will sweep the northeast again. Which challager came close to beating Paulie's ass last time around?
Come on....Paulie is an incumbent with a serious army and formidable war chest. Trying to unseat an incumbent is like trying to push a two ton Boulder uphill by yourself. Those are the facts...like it or not...even if the fickle civic associations back you.
Who's gonna nickel and dime this county supported powerhouse out of his job? The best that any challager can hope for is that they will top the list of other challengers for coming in first place among them.
Hey County Troll...what the fuck are you talking about?
Paulie V. barely scraped by with 149 votes above the 2nd place winner, Austin Shafran. He outspent Paul Graziano more than 5 to 1 and Shafran 2.5 to 1: Vallone got 31%, Shafran 29% and Graziano 18%. With all of the County financial and political support not to mention his "famous" name, he came very close to imploding.
Using your logic, he should have gotten 60% of the vote or more. He didn't.
Paulie V. is doing a terrible job in the 19th Council District and a lot of people who voted for him in 2013 aren't going to this time around. It should be a really fun time in 2017 watching him crash and burn.
Bye bye Paulie!
Oops...whoever just called me a "county troll"....must have been the egotistic contender who lost to Vallone in the last race.
Put your money where your mouth is next time around. Start enlisting your civic army to primary Vallone. Yadda, yadda, yadda. There's a lot of talk but little walk going around. Why not announce now? Oh, we get it. You are a secret contender. LOL!
Pooh, pooh, pooh!
If Paulie V has been a train wreck in his district....pray tell....who will be the Casey Jones that will jump the moving train and set it back on track? I have not gotten wind of any serious opponent who could do the job. Every wannabee thinks they have a chance. But do they really have any political skills to outwit county? Then, of course, there is the force of campaign workers and cash that is needed.
Big talk with a small bankroll buys you a bungalow in radioactive Harrisburg, PA!
I've got a great garage band that would volunteer for anyone who can beat Vallone.
Cone head....bone head....chrome dome Vallone....a crook by any description.
Political mafioso in league with devil developers. Smiley Paulie...robs you blind in the midst of a fireworks show.
You voters will pay dearly for his second term in office.
Look at what the Vallone's have done to Astoria. Your neighborhood is next.
What's that you say....that Paulie won't shit in his own back yard where he and his family live?
WRONG!
Yes he will. Then, after too much crap mounts up , he will simply move away.....maybe to Nassau County
to run his real estate lobbying law firm from there. Dump Vallone or suffer the consequences that we have all already gotten a taste of
during his first term.
..
So by your calculations, Graziano still wound up on the bottom, of the list, with Shafran coming in second to Vallone.
Yet Vallone still won. So who will come along who can muster the strength to win over Vallone this time around?
Life is not that simple, and politics is full of snakes and betrayers. Maybe Shafran might have won if the other contenders didn't split the vote. And what did all of these matching funds cost NYC taxpayers?
There will be a challenger...but he's in Albany right now...come one, does anyone not believe that Avella is going to try to get his old council seat back...Avella would beat Paulie like the family mule
There will be a challenger...but he's in Albany right now...come one, does anyone not believe that Avella is going to try to get his old council seat back...Avella would beat Paulie like the family mule
Although I personally would welcome the return of Tony Avella to City government, there are no term limits in Albany and he would probably be foolish to give up the State Senate job to go back to the City Council where he could only serve 8 years, and would then have to find another position. But you'll recall that Tony did support term limits in the City Council and refused to run for a third term when Bloomberg and Christine Quinn forced it through, so perhaps he doesn't plan to stay in Albany forever like his predecessor.
Do you know that Vallone is supporting a request by the KAAQ to make Leonard Square by Murray Hill shopping center into a plaza requiring closing the end of Roosevelt Ave. where it terminates into Northern Blvd. ?
This is over the objections of the local civic association which represents a large majority of the area's residents.
So much for Vallone representing you. There will be a hearing regarding this at CB7 in September.
There is also a request for a name change. I believe that Leonard was a world war veteran. This is an outrageous request.
The little park Leonard Square was named for him.
Vallone is a snake in the grass. Be sure that he does not get elected to a second term.
He represents block busting elements of neighborhood quality of life.
He DOES NOT represent you....the community. He has displayed that many times.
He will drain his constituents like a bloodsucking vampire to further his career and bank account.
And when Vallackula is finished draining your nabe, he will look for fresh blood elsewhere!
The Vallone family sucked Astoria dry then moved into northeast Queens to continue their blood lust for power.
This demapping of a street and incursion into public parkland
is, indeed, being supported by Vallone. And it was done WITHOUT
first contacting or including the community that lives around Leonard Square.
How much money does Vallone expect from this group in the way of campaign contributions
In return for his support of their plan?
Most likely he will wind up,screwing them too, if and after he gets re-elected.
That has been Don Paulie's MO everywhere he goes.
This runt of the Vallone litter is so hungry for the kind of power that his sibling Pete junior enjoys.
Only one thing......he doesn't have enough brains to match his family's ingenuity.
Don Paulie is definitely the dumbest of the Vallone's.
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