Thursday, June 2, 2016

Pay to play (or be an appointee)


From the Daily News:

Companies owned by two big contributors de Blasio appointed to VIP slots had serious integrity issues before the mayor rewarded them for their money-raising, a Daily News review has found.

One co-owned a company the city had declared lacked “good character, honesty and integrity,” while the other owed the city $1.2 million in lease payments and fees.

Not a problem. The mayor appointed both to several advisory boards.

The two showed up on an internal spreadsheet of top donors, lobbyists and other New York power players up for mayoral appointments to unpaid boards and commissions revealed by the Daily News Monday.

Businesswoman Gina Argento made the list after raising $97,780 for the mayor through bundled checks from friends and employees of her firm, Broadway Stage.

And in January 2014, she was first in line to write checks totaling $50,000 for the Campaign for One New York, the fund de Blasio set up to support his causes.

Most of Argento’s checks to de Blasio started arriving Oct. 1, 2013 — a month before he was elected and not long after the city Business Integrity Commission found a firm she co-owned, Luna Lighting Inc., “lacks good character, honesty and integrity.”

In May 2013, the commission rejected Luna’s request for a waste hauling license on two grounds: Luna had paid an $18,000 fine after admitting it repeatedly illegally hauled construction debris and ignored city demands to pay off a $620,000 IRS tax lien.

A little over a year later, de Blasio put Argento on his Fund for the Advancement of New York City, a nonprofit run by his wife, Chirlane McCray, that raises private funds for city programs.

And he put her on his committee to try to lure the Democratic National Convention to Brooklyn, and the city’s Workforce Investment Board, which advises the city on workforce issues and oversaw a $65.5 million budget in 2014.

It’s unclear whether Argento paid the back taxes. She did not return repeat calls seeking comment.

On Tuesday, mayoral spokesman Peter Kadushan declined to address the integrity panel’s license rejection, stating only that Argento was put on the Workforce Board “because of her experience in the film and television industry and years as a small-business owner who has created local jobs.”


Ok. I exposed this 2 1/2 years ago, so what took the Daily News so long to figure this out? Have they also figured out that she's married to John Ciafone of ridiculous canopy fame?

11 comments:

(sarc) said...

Nothing to see here, just keep moving along...

Anonymous said...

Daily News is always a little slow on the uptake... 2.5 years shouldn't be a surprise.

Anonymous said...

The Daily News didn't think this newsworthy in 2013 because deBlas was the liberal darling at the time. Now that is is obvious to anyone breathing that the Mayor is a rat bastard the DN thinks it is safe to pile on.

Anonymous said...

And I though the benchmark for corruption was set in the 1860s by Boss Tweed!
Der Mayor gets his advice from the mafia and its development construction industry affiliates.
REBNY and construction Union mobsters run New York.
This six foot doofus is putty in their hands.

Anonymous said...

PROGRESSIVE OR CONSERVATIVE, POLITICIANS ARE ALL THE SAME ONCE THEY REACH THE SEAT OF POWER. THIS MAYOR IS PATHETIC!!

Anonymously Grey Gardens said...

Alas, as long as City Hall is infected with the current mayoral SCOURGE-in-residence, as well as the endless Albany SCOURGES of epic, humanitarian (and ecological) fail (from the top on down to every socio-economic level below it), New York State continues to remain a 'padded cell' of subhuman depravity and entrenched sociopathy!

And, when fed up, disgusted and overtaxed New York City and State residents finally start paying attention, followed by urgently necessary action to engage in EXTREME activism, protest, rally and resistance, then nothing will change---and, without challenge there can be no change!

Time to 'POSSE UP,' New York---unfortunately, violence is the only action that gets the attention of all willfully tone deaf politicians (not public servants)---ironically, the REAL savages of societal decay, and outright anarchy itself, as they take the very best for themselves---and, the public be eternally duped, bilked, scammed and damned!

Anonymous said...

"PROGRESSIVE OR CONSERVATIVE, POLITICIANS ARE ALL THE SAME"... Please don't confuse Liberal with Progressive. Teddy Roosevelt was progressive, deBlas is a communist misusing the moniker.

Anonymous said...

The mayor is looking very drawn and pale lately.

Anonymous said...

Der Mayor is going to look more pale in an orange jump suit.
Wanna bet he resigns before the feds close in tight on him?

Anonymously Grey Gardens said...

Alas, Shithead de Blasio gives mendacity a bad name, in perpetuity!

Anonymous said...

The removal of the Mayor needs to be accelerated before he does much more damage.

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