Mayor Bill de Blasio’s $300,000 debt to his outside law firm is starting to cast a huge shadow over his staff’s decisions.
As The Post reports Tuesday, opponents of plans to expand the Frick Museum have gone to court, claiming in part that the Frick’s use of the firm — Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel — to represent it before the city creates a conflict of interest.
They’re right: Frick hired Kramer Levin to push its plans before the Board of Standards and Appeals and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. But the mayor chooses their members, and they’re all surely aware that he owes the firm 300 grand.
The BSA will also decide Tuesday whether to OK a 64-story East Side apartment tower. Who’s repping its developer, Jonathan Kalikow? Yep: Kramer Levin.
The firm reportedly lobbied two key mayoral aides, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen and City Planning Commissioner Marisa Lago, to let the building reach its planned 64-story height — and the planning commission obliged.
The City Council later nixed that decision, but the BSA will now decide whether enough of the tower was built by then to shield it from the council’s action.
Even if de Blasio hasn’t tried to pay off his debt with political favors, his debt creates an appearance that the firm will be treated well by the city. What company lets a client not pay a bill (or even work out a payment plan, as de Blasio has yet to do) unless it’s getting something in return?
8 comments:
Bill de Blasio won re-election in 2017 by a 66.5% to 27.8% margin.
There are 51 members in the City Council; 49 are Democrat, 2 are Republican.
The Governor is a Democrat and going more Democratic Socialist by the day.
The Attorney General is also a Democrat, hit the Trump Organization with a lawsuit on Trump’s birthday and the day the IG report came out just to prove a point.
Why would anyone do anything about de Blasio’s shady practices?
The mayor “can shoot someone on 5th Avenue” and can get away with it.
Only 22% voted...
I agree with Al except for one thing:
The lawsuit on the blatant pilfering of charity money by the Trumps of their Trump Organization was long overdue, it was brought to S&M A.G. Eric Schneiderman twice by Zepher Teachout and he decided to do nothing. The timing of it being on the stronghead's birthday is actually coincidental but pretty hilarious and deserving of the Donald and his repulsive and greedy kids.
I do agree that there needs to be equity in party members in elected office, I prefer independent party candidates, but I endorse republicans who will be ethical and responsible and in touch with the needs of the working poor and middle class. Hypotethically, if a republican governor would take over, hopefully it will put a halt to the profligate spending on bloated projects like the failures Mario's son has approved in the past 8 years, which have led to indictments of his appointees and backers.
As for this obscene abuse of quid pro quo city policy and planning, well Kramer are not even being subtle about how they are profiting and taking advantage of the debt that Bill de Bastard owes them. But the untold story is that the real one controlling what gets development built and what gets put on indefinite hiatus(NYCHA) is being engineered by Deputy mayor Alicia Glen. She is the one (along with Lago) who gave the go-ahead for that tower on Sutton place and is behind this expansion too. She also was behind the lunatic Vanderbilt tower that's being constructed in Grand Central. And she is also the one who is really behind the affordable housing farce inspired by the idea that it can only be accomplished with building market rate rental towers and increasing density.
Watch This thing, I mean, woman is going to run for mayor. That's if the feds don't subpoena her for the NYCHA lead poisoning coverup first.
Watch out for her, I think she is going to run for mayor next.
Yawn! Same old complaining and complaining !
Apply your energies to voting smarter.
Remember , once you hire them you can't fire then until their term in office is up.
To last Anonymous: That's a violation of We, the People's Constitutional rights to not impeach any and all publicly elected officials where it is warranted and justified.
And, where do those arrogant sewer rats and empowered idiots get license to betray public trust and ignore the rule of 'Law & Order' that is foisted and imposed on everyone ELSE?
We, the People ARE GOVERNMENT. And, what constitutes 'voting smarter' when the entire system is so completely rigged and rotted over the course of 150 years of DemonRat servitude to the inner circle——that the entire system of political corruption, graft and greed within New York City and New York State government now DEVALUES honesty itself!
Get rid of that grade A shithead, de BLASS-hole, already——and, threaten citywide boycotts and the 'LAMESTREAM,' corporate obedient media in order to demand honest, ethical leadership (that leads by example). Unless, of course, you LIKE PAYING highest taxes without any and all representation, whatsoever!
❝The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule it.❞ —H. L. Mencken
❝History is a set of lies agreed upon.❞ —Napoleon
❝It's easier to fool a person than to tell them that they've been fooled.❞ —Mark Twain
❝You can fool all of the people some of the time, but if you do it just once, it lasts four years.❞ —Alfred E. Neuman
❝Government is a disease masquerading as its own cure.❞ ―Robert Lefavre
❝If voting was any good, then they wouldn't let us do it.❞ —Mark Twain
❝Everything the State says is a lie, and everything it has it has stolen.❞―Friedrich Nietzsche
❝It's DANGEROUS to be right when government is WRONG.❞ —Voltaire
❝Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their own free will.❞ by Joseph Goebbels
❝If you're not careful, the media will have you hating the people who are being oppressed—and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.❞ —Malcolm X
❝We hang the petty thieves and elect the great ones to public office.❞ —Aesop
Love your quotes, previous poster. But, you are overestimating the IQs of Queens residents.
Thank you, last Anonymous. Sadly, I am only too aware of the low IQ of many Queens County residents and beyond (and, the politicians of even lower IQ, all of whom they curiously adore, worship and love——to their own ironic demise and detriment——and, completely against their own self interests).
Frankly, I don't know who's 'suspension of all cognitive function' is worse. But, I've learned NOTHING if I haven't absorbed: You cannot force a person to accept a message for which that individual is not ready to receive. Still, never underestimate the planting of a seed...
❝Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.❞ ——Voltaire
Thank you, last Anonymous. Sadly, I am only too aware of the low IQ of many Queens County residents and beyond (and, the politicians of even lower IQ, all of whom they curiously adore, worship and love——to their own ironic demise and detriment——and, completely against their own self interests).
Frankly, I don't know who's 'suspension of all cognitive function' is worse. But, I've learned NOTHING if I haven't absorbed: You cannot force a person to accept a message for which that individual is not ready to receive. Still, never underestimate the planting of a seed...
❝Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.❞ ——Voltaire
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