Carrion has missing money issues

From the Daily News:

Mayoral hopeful Adolfo Carrion may be in more hot water over his political finances.

As Bronx borough president, he created a political fund that regularly made large cash disbursements in apparent violation of state election law, the Daily News has learned.

The existence of the political committee, BXNY PAC, was not widely known until now. It received $172,000 in contributions, mostly from developers and other business interests with dealings in the Bronx, records show.

Carrion’s committee made cash payments of $500 — $15,800 in all — but didn’t specify what the money was for, records obtained by The News show.

The fund spent another $3,380 on unspecified “expenses” and $2,789 more to pay off a credit card bill, again without listing the charges that were incurred.

Board of Elections spokesman Tom Connolly said it appears that the PAC violated laws that forbid political committees from distributing more than $100 in cash and that require them to detail the purpose of all spending over $50.

Mayoral candidate has honest graft experience

From the Daily News:

As a top city official, mayoral hopeful Adolfo Carrion went to bat for a major developer who had arranged to provide an architect for renovations to Carrion’s Bronx home, the Daily News has learned.

Carrion provided the help to developer Peter Fine when Carrion was Bronx Borough President and the developer was wrestling to win city approval for a $300 million project of apartments and retail space, Boricua Village.

Carrion arranged an “urgent” meeting with two city agencies in late 2006 after Fine complained that the project was “not moving forward” because of outstanding issues in the approval process, according to a secret report by the city Department of Investigation.

After Carrion’s intervention, the project, in the Melrose section of the Bronx, began moving again, and five months later, Carrion signed off on the development in his role as borough president.

Democrat, Republican...in NYC, it's the same thing

From the NY Times:

Adolfo Carrión Jr., a former Bronx borough president and Obama administration official, is all but certain to jump into the 2013 mayor’s race, not as a Democrat, but rather as an independent seeking the Republican nomination, according to his spokesman and others.

Should Mr. Carrión, a strong fund-raiser, prevail in a Republican primary, he could pose a credible challenge to whoever emerges from what is expected to be a wide-open and bruising primary for the Democratic nomination. And though Democrats outnumber Republicans in New York City by more than six to one, no Democrat has won the mayoralty since David N. Dinkins in 1989.

An adviser to Mr. Carrión, Davidson Goldin, said Mr. Carrión had recently left the Democratic Party and was unaffiliated. Mr. Goldin also said that Mr. Carrión, who would need the blessing of three of the five Republican county leaders to run on their line in the city, had been talking to individual chairmen regularly, and was to meet all of them Wednesday night. Mr. Carrión is also seeking the backing of the Independence Party.

From Capital Tonight:

Carrion would be the city’s first Hispanic mayor – a fact that is not lost on his GOP boosters, particularly since the party failed so spectacularly last week in capturing the Latino vote in the presidential race and quite clearly needs to make inroads with that key voting bloc ASAP.

There are several other party switchers angling for the GOP nod in next year’s mayor’s race, including supermarket/oil mogul John Catsimatidis (he made the change in preparation for a 2009 mayoral bid, but then dropped out when Bloomberg announced he would push to overturn term limits and run again); DOE Fund founder George McDonald; and Manhattan Media executive Tom Allon,

In addition, Sen. Malcolm Smith, a Queens Democrat, has been chatting up the GOP chairs in hopes that they’ll give their ballot line to him next year.

MTA Chairman Joe Lhota, a registered Republican, has been talked about as a potential mayoral contender since his success in bringing the subway system back on line after Sandy.

And, of course, there’s always the possibility of some yet-unknown self-financing type throwing his (or her) hat into the ring.

Former Bronx BP gets away with accepting bribe

From the NY Post:

Ex-Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion — who is said to be exploring a 2013 run for city comptroller — was fined $10,000 yesterday by the Conflicts of Interest Board for accepting services from an architect who had a major housing project requiring approval from his office.

Carrion claimed he didn’t realize Hugo Subotovsky, who designed his porch, was also the architect of the then-proposed Boricua Village apartment complex.

Subotovsky was hired in 2006 to design a $26,000 porch for Carrion’s City Island home. Construction was completed in March 2007 — the same month Carrion green-lighted Boricua.

And Subotovsky did not bill Carrion until after reporters began asking why. On April 15, 2009, Carrion was billed $4,247.50 and quickly paid it. By then, he was serving as President Obama’s “urban czar.”

Carrion a party animal in more ways than one

From the NY Post:

Former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion spent more than $50,000 in campaign contributions on a party for supporters and to enrich the Bronx Democratic Party soon after he was named President Obama's urban-affairs chief six weeks ago, according to filings at the Campaign Finance Board.

Records show that Carrion's campaign dropped $26,525 in February at Bayard's, a restaurant in the Financial District, for what was described as a "thank-you reception" for more than 500 people who backed his run for city comptroller.

Not long afterward, on March 5, Carrion wrote a $25,000 check to the Bronx Democratic Party, which forms the base of his political support.

Carrion spent the last three years raising $2.3 million for a citywide run, only to drop out on Feb. 19 when he was named to the White House post.

Carrión full of crap

From the Daily News:

Carrión also had taxpayers fund his $140-a-year satellite radio subscription because he spends "a great deal of time traveling throughout the Bronx and the city. It was important for him to have a 'mobile' source for news and information," Fenton said.

The former borough president also charged taxpayers more than $13,000 a year for his membership in the County Executives of America organization. No other borough president did so.

When asked, Fenton did not provide a specific example of how the membership benefited residents of the Bronx.

The Bronx borough president office spent $24,000 on overnight travel for conferences and other meetings in fiscal years 2007 and 2008. The other four borough president offices spent a combined total of $2,750.

Interesting political/racial analysis

From City Hall:

The plan was simple: Comptroller Bill Thompson and Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión would link arms in a show of Democratic unity in 2009 and barnstorm across the five boroughs from campaign event to campaign event—or at least would team up in people’s minds, drawing African-American and Latino voters out together to sweep them both into office in the fall.

But it is not to be.

With hardly a wave goodbye, Carrión absconded to Washington to join the Obama administration, shattering the hopes for the fabled black-brown coalition that has forever eluded New York elections.

Wow. The news media and politicians love to portray Queens residents as Archie Bunkers. Have they ever listened to the way they speak or read what they've written? Do they believe that blacks and Latinos don't care about issues, but just blindly pull the lever for a person with dark skin? (Let's remember that Archie country overwhelmingly voted Obama last November...)

Photo by azipaybarah on Flickr.

Carrión's conflict-of-interest

From the Daily News:

President Obama's new urban czar, Adolfo Carrión, admitted Tuesday he has not paid an architect who designed a renovation of his Bronx home two years ago.

That presents conflict-of-interest issues because at the time the architect was a key player in a Bronx development that needed approval from Carrión, then the Bronx borough president.

This says it all

From the NY Observer:

Michael Bloomberg said that he doesn’t think Adolfo Carrion did anything wrong by approving development projects associated with people who donated money to his campaigns.

He's also a fan of Weiner's pork.

Builders bribed Bronx BP

From the Daily News:

The man who is President Obama's newly minted urban czar pocketed thousands of dollars in campaign cash from city developers whose projects he approved or funded with taxpayers' money, a Daily News probe found.

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion often received contributions just before or after he sponsored money for projects or approved important zoning changes, records show.

Most donations were organized and well-timed.

In one case, a developer became a Carrion fund-raiser two months before the borough president signed off on his project, raising more than $6,000 in campaign cash.

In another, eight Boricua College officials came up with $8,000 on the same day for Carrion three weeks before the school filed plans to build a new tower. Carrion ultimately approved the project and sponsored millions in taxpayer funds for it.

Parking perk still part of the job for pols

From the Daily News:

Mayor Bloomberg yanked free parking spots from a handful of elected officials last year - but borough presidents, the city controller and other pols still enjoy the perk, the Daily News found.

Bloomberg ordered the crackdown after the Daily News reported exclusively last summer that four City Council members had signs outside their district offices reserving spaces for "Council Vehicles."

But city officials decided to leave in place nearly 200 spaces near City Hall and borough offices for borough presidents, the city controller and state officials like the governor and attorney general.

The Gotham Gazette has more about the continued abuse of parking placards by city employees.

Obama's HUD choice a real winner

From the Village Voice: Five Reasons Why Bronx Beep Adolfo Carrion Will Be a Great HUD Secretary

Here's the first two:

1. A team player: Specifically, for the Yankees. When a bunch of spoilsport members of the local community board objected a couple years ago to giving the richest team in baseball a public park and a few hundred million bucks to build a brand new stadium in his borough, Carrion quickly purged them from the board.

2. Gets along famously with housing developers and contractors: Of the $2.3 million warchest Carrion raised for a race for citywide office next year, roughly two-thirds came from the real estate industry. Build baby build!

Developer is Fine friends with comptroller candidates

THE 2009 race for comp troller is shaping up as the most competitive in years, but developer Peter Fine is almost certain to line up with the winner - because he's backing four of the five Democratic candidates.

Campaign filings show that Fine - together with his mother, his wife, his business partner and his employees - has pumped $23,800 into the war chest of Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, $23,000 into the account of City Councilwoman Melinda Katz, $12,000 to Councilman David Yassky and $2,000 to Councilman David Weprin.

That means Fine has backed every horse in the comptroller's race except Assemblyman Jim Brennan.

COMPTROLLER HOPEFULS ARE FINE $$ FRIENDS

Fine and his partner, Marc Altheim, also spread around at least $110,000 more to other candidates for city office, including $34,700 to Rep. Anthony Weiner in the mayor's race, $10,050 to Comptroller Bill Thompson, another mayoral contender, $33,250 to Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, and $17,200 to Bronx Councilman Joel Rivera, who's running for Bronx borough president.

Even in the heady New York real-estate world, that adds up to a tidy sum of campaign cash.

Frank Marino, Fine's spokesman, said the developer was simply being a good citizen.

Another conflict of interest for Bx pol

A BRONX legislator under scrutiny for channeling $82,000 last year to a group that had ties to her relatives has allocated $1.5 million in capital funds this year to a charter school where her nephew is chairman of the board.

BX. POL STEERS $1.5M TO NEPHEW'S SCHOOL

Records show that City Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo directed the money to the 3-year-old South Bronx Charter School for International Cultures and Arts, founded by her nephew Richard Izquierdo.

Arroyo vigorously defended her actions - and was backed by council officials.

"It's an incredible program in a school district in desperate need of quality education," she said.

Arroyo said the funds would be combined with a $1.5 million grant from Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion so the highly rated school could relocate from three locations to its own building next year.

Izquierdo isn't just Arroyo's nephew. He's also treasurer of her 2009 re-election campaign and chief of staff to Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo, the councilwoman's mother.

Brian and Lizzy sittin' in a tree...

I thought this would interest you. The press and those eager to endorse Elizabeth Crowley seem to have very short memories with regards to her immoral and deceitful history with married corrupt men, especially Brian McLaughlin. Maybe Queens Crap can remind everyone about her lack of values, judgement and ethics. She is not someone I wish to see elected in Queens, but sadly seems well on her way to getting paid taxpayer money to replace yet another person who lacks values and virtue. - anonymous

And check this classy Craigslist invitation out:

Please Join

The Committee to elect

ELIZABETH CROWLEY
FOR CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT NO. 30,
QUEENS, NEW YORK

At a Campaign Kick-Off FIESTA!!!!

A Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Special Guest:
Hon. ADOLFO CARRION, Bronx Borough President

Hosted by:

Ricardo Bellido- Juan Carlos Bellido- Maria Castro

@
Miguelina's Restaurant
63-20 Woodhaven Blvd.
Off 63rd. Road in Woodhaven, Queens, New York

Monday, May 5th, 2008
6:00pm to 9:00pm

Friend: $20 - Sponsor: $100 - Benefactor: $300 - Padrino: $ 1,000

Please make checks payable to:
Elizabeth Crowley for City Council
c/o The Esler Group
420 Lexington, Suite 555
New York, NY 10170

Seems like Lizzy has to import politicians from the Bronx because none of the ones from Queens wants to be seen with her. Also, Miguelina's is in Rego Park, not Woodhaven. But you wouldn't expect a council candidate to know what's in the district and what's not. And it looks like the Doorman's wife is doing the fundraising because the Machine is one big, happy family. We'll break down Liz's bio tomorrow.

Power to the people (with money)

The Glasers—a family of Bronx elevator-equipment moguls—haven't been too big on giving money to political campaigns. In fact, city campaign-finance records show that before this spring, they and their company—G.A.L. Manufacturing in the South Bronx—hadn't given a single dollar to local candidates. Ever.

Elevator Diplomacy

So why did the Glasers suddenly drop almost $30,000 into Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion's campaign war chest in May and July?

Could it have anything to do with the fact that the city had just agreed to pay the Glasers a whopping $5 million for "air rights" over their East 153rd Street property to make way for the renovation of an old pedestrian bridge to the new Yankee Stadium?

The thing that makes the timing of their contribution even more intriguing is that the same politically connected lawyer involved in the air-rights deal also acted as the middleman in raising those contributions for Carrion.

Photo from Village Voice

Hot sheets hotel?

What kind of tourists will want to stay at a hotel next to a string of junkyards?

Residents worry hotel may become den of prostitution

That's the question community leaders want the hotel's owner to answer at a meeting in November on the new Best Western hotel being constructed off the Sheridan Expressway.

The 64-room Best Western is located on a service road lined with salvage yards. On one side is an auto-wrecking business, on the other, a boiler repair business.

There is not even an expressway exit ramp near the location, which leads critics to wonder how the hotel would attract tourists or motorists.

This has fueled speculation that the hotel either will be used by the city to house the homeless or will become a den of prostitution, known on the streets as a "hot sheet" motel.

The building of hotels and motels in light industrial areas has become such a problem that Borough President Adolfo Carrion has called for a moratorium on such facilities in these areas.

Know your 2009 mayoral candidates

While Mr. Ferrer often attacked Mr. Bloomberg, Mr. Carrion has aligned himself with the mayor, particularly on big development projects. He did not, however, shy away from criticizing the so-called pay to play legislation Mr. Bloomberg and Ms. Quinn joined together to pass, which caps campaign contributions from those who do business with the city.

"If I were a billionaire 13 times over, I would be able to easily say what he says," Mr. Carrion said. "I have great respect for Mike Bloomberg. I think he's been a great mayor, but the suggestion and the implication that political contributions corrupt the process flies in the face of American history from the beginning."

Carrion: ‘Gracie Mansion Is Ready for Family Life Again'

The Bronx president said that while he believes the attempts to improve the system were sincere he took the politically conservative position that "the free market" should not limit anybody's participation in the political process.

"It essentially implies that all political contributions and all political activity, unless it's giving from their household budget, is fundamentally, I don't want to say corrupt, fundamentally corruptible, and that's insulting," he said.

Mr. Carrion has taken some criticism for accepting campaign contributions from developers and for backing projects that faced community opposition, including the Gateway Center, which critics said was a sweetheart deal. Last year, he drew ire when he replaced several community board members after they voted against the Yankee Stadium plan.