Cuomo's patronage mil is pricey

From AM-NY:

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s hiring of 13 former staffers from the Obama administration, Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid and other national campaigns is costing state taxpayers $1.5 million a year, state records show.

Some of the hires are being paid not through the governor’s office budget but through state authorities and other entities considered “off budget.”

The top hires include Maria Comella, whose hiring as Cuomo’s chief of staff was announced in April. She is being paid $175,000 a year, according to records obtained under the state Freedom of Information Law. Comella initially had been hired as a consultant to Cuomo to help shape this year’s agenda after working for Republicans in presidential races, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election, as well as Rudolph Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Other hires include Andrew Tillman, a former speechwriter for Obama’s chief of staff. Tillman is being paid $80,000 a year in his state job writing speeches for Cuomo. Jen Darley, who was the national lead advance staffer for the Hillary for America Campaign, is now paid $110,000 as Cuomo’s assistant director of executive operations, records show.

Such hiring of staff from outgoing adminstrations or failed campaigns isn’t uncommon. Cuomo’s hiring comes as he prepares his 2018 re-election campaign and as some supporters urge him to run for president in 2018.

City payroll is bigger than ever

From the NY Times:

New York City is undergoing a rare explosion in city government: More people now work for the city — 287,002 full-time employees as of July — than at any other point in its modern history, with thousands more scheduled to join them.

The projected growth finds few parallels in other major American metropolises; most, like New York, trimmed their numbers after the financial crash of 2008. Some have rehired, though not at the level that New York has under Mayor Bill de Blasio.

But behind all the job growth is a complicated set of factors that explain the possible benefits and costs to the city, the mayor and his supporters. Unions will see new jobs for their members, but the city will see future pension costs rise.

And even if the city fails to fill all its projected job openings, there is a benefit: An unfilled job can be taken off the budget, enabling the de Blasio administration to claim so-called savings from the absence of thousands of workers who were not hired.

Every major agency is growing under Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, but some expansions seem to stand out: His latest budget would have the Sanitation Department’s number of civilian employees increasing by a third since 2014; the Department of Citywide Administrative Services’ by 20 percent; and the city information technology department’s by more than 50 percent.

The growth in full-time staffing has worried some budget experts, who fear a lack of fiscal discipline at City Hall, and greater pension obligations down the road.

Vallone punting problems over to Avella

It's interesting the conversations that people have on Facebook. I found this one in a community group and have anonymized the posters' names. Illegal conversions are generally a concern of the local council member as the council deals directly with the DOB.

Raises for all!

From Gotham Gazette:

As New York City Council members voted on a package of legislation that increased their salaries from $112,500 to $148,500, aides to two Council members stood silently in the balcony of the Council chambers, wearing white t-shirts that read, “Paycheck to Paycheck, Pay Raises for All.”

The $36,000 salary bump for Council members is about the same amount of money that many of their staff members make in a year. These are aides filling roles such as communications director, scheduler, and community liaison. Chiefs of staff usually make quite a bit more. At a hearing on the bills two days before the vote, several Council members spoke in support of also providing pay raises to their staff members. The silent demonstration by staffers from the offices of Council Members Inez Barron and Rosie Mendez was itself a coordinated effort done with the support of Barron and Mendez.

City Council members set the salaries of their staff members and decide how many aides to employ - the average staff size is about seven. The amount Council members choose to spend on salaries comes out of their office budgets, which are set by the Council Speaker’s office.

City Council members say that a push to increase member budgets was initiated when it became clear that Council members themselves would be getting raises. In early February, at about the same time the Council was voting through raises for all city elected officials, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito provided Council members with about $25,000 each in additional funding for their offices.

Yes, these folks totally deserve a raise to ignore your phone calls. That's hard work!

The DOB Commissioner has a plan

From Crains:

Extended inspection hours and an upgraded electronic-filing system are among the ideas under consideration at the New York City Department of Buildings, Commissioner Rick Chandler said at a Crain's breakfast forum Tuesday at the Yale Club.

The agency's online scheduling portal, dubbed Hub Inspection Ready, is slated to go live early next year. It will allow people to file inspection requests and eventually to view inspection results through the hub. Mr. Chandler acknowledged that gaps in the online system have dampened users' enthusiasm for it since the department rolled it out in 2011 and said the new hub is intended to address those inefficiencies.

The commissioner, who took office July 17, also floated an idea of charging a fee to answer requests about conceptual projects and for the department to conduct inspections after normal business hours on weekdays and even on weekends.

The department currently has 1,100 staffers in the wake of a number of departures that occurred in the gap between the Bloomberg administration leaving office in January and Mayor Bill de Blasio appointing a new buildings commissioner seven months later. The delay was costly. Complaints rose about growing backlogs in the department as a number of key people left the agency, including former Assistant Commissioner James Colgate, who joined law firm Bryan Cave. Staff levels are again rising, however, and are budgeted to hit 1,200 in 2015, in the midst of an ongoing surge in permit applications this year.

"We are very much aware of the backlog issue and of certain staffers who think their job is to stop development, which is not acceptable," Mr. Chandler said.

Another cause of delays in processing permit applications is that many of them land in the department's in-box incomplete. The commissioner called the process by which developers deliberately submit incomplete applications "design by objection," in which proposals are honed over the course of "six, seven or eight" rejections.

"Folks giving us a plan with just a few lines on it goes over the line," Mr. Chandler said. He also proposed charging a fee for owners to consult with the department to see if their ideas are potentially viable, so that they have "some sense of security about whether they can move forward with a project." Such a program "is in the exploratory phase right now," he said. The agency currently performs that service for free.

What a tangled web they tweed

From the NY Post:

The career politicians in the administrative class like to call themselves “public servants” when they’re feeling humble, or “leaders” when a moment of vanity strikes.

They’re really more like imperial overlords. Sometimes they’re elected, sometimes they’re not, but either way what they love most is to spend our money on their own glorification.

Often they’re completely oblivious to how they look as their gilded chariots cruise past us, their vassals tossing rose petals in the air.

Manhattan’s newest little Caesar is Scott Stringer. If you read the papers over recent decades you’ve been vaguely aware of this dough-faced homunculus, who in a life light on accomplishments has nevertheless been happily drawing a taxpayer salary for more than 20 years.

Apparently Stringer mainly uses his Praetorian guard as chauffeurs, both for himself and his wife.

Twenty-odd years inside the palace walls have damaged Stringer’s memories of what life was like for the average plebeian, or even the average millionaire.

Stringer maintains a taxpayer-funded security detail of six, which you probably wouldn’t even know about if he hadn’t gotten peevish, leading four to ask to be reassigned.

Letitia James is the New York City public advocate, another ceremonial position that exists mainly to provide ambitious politicos a platform from which to conduct press conferences that build name recognition before running for mayor. (The previous public advocate was a guy named Bill de Blasio).

Somehow we managed to do without a public advocate before the office was created in 1993, yet James is such an important figure she also has a six-member security detail, as does the speaker of the City Council.

Among her dozens of staffers are two “first assistants” making $240,000 total and two directors of communications who earn a combined $200,000.

Throwing rose petals pays well.

Melissa dumps staffer connected to County

From Capital New York:

Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito laid off ten City Council holdovers today, her office confirmed to Capital.

The layoffs come as Mark-Viverito is on vacation in Puerto Rico.

Three council sources said among those being let go are Philip Monaco, a deputy chief of staff who earned $156,832 according to council records, and Scott Crowley, who earned $132,444.

Crowley works in the council's finance division.

Crowley is close to the Queens Democratic party, which backed Dan Garodnick over Mark-Viverito in the speaker's race.

Further dismantling of the Queens Machine

From The Capital:

Longtime City Council employee Chuck Meara is resigning his post as of March 31, he confirmed to Capital.

Meara, who would have served in the Council for ten years in June, was chief of staff to Christine Quinn, who served for eight years as speaker and left office Dec. 31.

He did not work on her campaign for mayor last year.

He also was one of the highest-paid council staffers, earning $209,973 in Fiscal Year 2013, according to records provided by the council through a freedom-of-information request in December.

Among Meara's duties is overseeing the Council's legislative division and its office of general counsel.

He works closely with Ramon Martinez, who handles land use and budget issues. Martinez is retaining his post for the time being, Capital has reported.

See previously: Machine hacks may have to find real jobs

Nice work if you can get it

From the NY Post:

More than a dozen mayoral staffers have been awaiting job placements for three weeks — and have so little to do that they’re watching Netflix and playing cards while on the government payroll, The Post has learned.

The staffers, ranging from entry-level employees to managers and deputy advisers — and who worked for Mayor de Blasio when he was the city’s public advocate — had been promised better titles and salaries in the new administration, according to a source.

But since de Blasio took office on Jan. 2, they’ve been “twiddling their thumbs” in a third-floor office at 253 Broadway across from City Hall watching movies, playing cards, learning a second language or going on afternoon shopping sprees downtown.

The bored staffers have even been betting on how late the persistently tardy mayor will be at his press conferences.

All are collecting salaries.

Ferreras staffer fired

From the Daily News:

A city staffer who was quietly fired by Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-E. Elmhurst) says she was unfairly targeted for her connection to the city’s biker scene.

Ivettelis Rodriguez, Ferreras’ former district office director, was dismissed from her $33,000-per-year job after a blog linked her to the bikers who carried out the brutal beatdown of a motorist on the Henry Hudson Parkway.

Rodriguez, 34, says she was officially fired for speaking to the media — not because of any smoking gun connecting her to the rogue riders.

She became the subject of a city probe in mid-October after a blog, “Queens Crap,” linked her to a Facebook campaign to raise money for a motorcyclist charged with attacking Manhattan father Alexian Lien.

Ferreras’ office confirmed the dismissal, but refused to comment. Rodriguez says she was hurt by the councilwoman’s abrupt turnabout.

Julissa in damage control mode

From a city newspaper:

Queens City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras called for an investigation of her district office manager Monday after a blog linked the staffer to a Facebook page to raise money for a motorcyclist charged with attacking Manhattan father Alexian Lien.

The staffer, Ivettelis Rodriguez, is part of a motorcycle group that is trying to spring Robert Sims from jail, a Queens blog reported. “I am deeply disappointed with the behavior my staffer, Ivettelis Rodriguez, has exhibited,” Ferreras, a Democrat, told the Daily News through a spokeswoman, adding that she is “working with the City Council to launch a full investigation.”

Why is an investigation necessary? It's quite obvious that she did this on taxpayer time. But even if it wasn't, there was no mercy shown to a deputy press aide for Scott Stringer who had the audacity to criticize the president on Facebook, so why should Ms. Rodriguez be shown any for supporting biker thugs?

She must have a shitload of dirt on Ferreras!

From another city paper:

“I am deeply disappointed with the behavior of my staffer, Ivettelis Rodriguez,” [Ferreras] said. “Her statements are not in any way indicative of my beliefs nor is it an accurate reflection of the high standards of personal conduct to which I hold my staff.”

But Rodriguez told The Post that someone copied a message onto her Facebook page through the “tag” function and that she doesn’t support Sims in any way.

“I just didn’t take it [the posting] down fast enough,” she said. “I don’t support him, I don’t even know him, I’ve never met him.”

Actually, the screenshot proves that your husband posted it to your misguided biker page, so don't blame "tagging".

I also find it quite hilarious that daily papers that plaster double entendre headlines and photos of half-naked women on their front covers on a semi-regular basis have problems crediting a blog called "Queens Crap" as their source. Or even just providing a link back to the original post in the web versions of their stories. You know things are bad when 2 of the big three are ripping off little old me. What the hell happened to journalism?

Bad behavior by pols at the College Point Memorial Day parade

Dear Crappy -

As a cameraperson for one of the candidates running for office who was marching in the College Point Memorial Day parade, you may take what I'm writing with a grain of salt (as I could be working for a competitor/s), that's up to you.

Frankly, I was outraged and horrified by the behavior of Peter Vallone's workers. First, they marched with the candidates, which is really not supposed to happen. Second, they unfurled signs and a banner promoting Peter Vallone's candidacy for Borough President, which is a serious no-no. They were told to stop by Andy Rocco, the president of the College Point Taxpayers Civic Association, which they did - reluctantly. However, they then followed this with screaming at the top of their lungs: "HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY FROM COUNCILMAN PETER VALLONE!" over and over again for the rest of the parade (about 20 minutes), which you can see an excerpt on the video that I sent you.


First of all, Memorial Day is not meant to be a "happy" event. Here's the Wikipedia definition:

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday which occurs every year on the final Monday of May.[1] Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service.

There WERE veterans as well as current and former military present, both on the parade route and in formation. There were also police, firemen...and the Guardian Angels, which, last I heard, was not any kind of law enforcement group whatsoever. Instead, the Angels are being used to bolster Melinda Katz's respectability level (I guess?), as she doesn't have to march with the rest of the candidates with Curtis and Company as her entourage.





Just thought you'd like to know some of the nonsense that's passing for honoring our heroes in the military.

- Anonymous Campaign Worker

Half of Helen's staff in jeopardy

From the Queens Courier:

Half the staff at Borough Hall could get pink slips if cuts proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg go through.

Borough President Helen Marshall’s office is expected to receive about $3.14 million in funding for the 2014 fiscal year—nearly $1.8 million less than last year—officials announced at Marshall’s Borough Board meeting on Monday, May 13.

If the budget is approved, the cuts will result in half the staff’s dismissal, according to Chief of Staff Alexandra Rosa.

There were roughly 88 employees when Marshall was first elected in 2002, according to spokesperson Dan Andrews. If this year’s cuts go through, the current staff of 54 could be reduced to fewer than 30.

The question is, who will notice?

Oh, Danny Boy!

From CBS New York:

He’s already facing trial on corruption charges — and now there are new troubles for City Councilman Dan Halloran.

The latest allegations involve sexual misconduct, CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer reported Monday.

What really went on inside Councilman Halloran’s office? If he turned it into match.com, and dated two of his staffers, it could turn into Ilostmyjob.com.

“Let me be clear: if these new allegations against Council member Halloran are true we will throw the book at him,” City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said.

Quinn was furious about reports that Halloran is dating a 23-year-old intern and previously dated a $30,000-a-year aide, vowing to kick him out of the council if the reports are true. She said dating a staffer could create a hostile work place.

“We have zero tolerance for sexual harassment and that type of behavior in the council. Zero tolerance,” Quinn said.

Quinn said she ordered her counsel and the Ethics Committee to investigate. In fact, the council speaker didn’t waste any time. She ordered the Ethics Committee to take up the Halloran matter this week.

From the NY Post:

He threw away his marriage for a co-ed staffer half his age, and now Dan Halloran, the city councilman already under indictment in an alleged plot to rig the mayoral race, could lose his seat after another seamy office romp.

Halloran, 41, a cocky Queens Republican and a practicing pagan, has been carrying on with 23-year-old Denise Batista since she was an intern in his council office, sources told The Post.

The brunette beauty was seen covering her face at Halloran’s Flushing home when FBI agents led him out in handcuffs during his predawn arrest April 2, when he was charged in Democratic state Sen. Malcolm Smith’s alleged plot to bribe his way onto the GOP mayoral ticket.

Halloran could be hit with disorderly-conduct sanctions — including dismissal — if found to have violated the council’s ethics policy with Batista or a previous deputy chief of staff with whom he had a relationship.

Batista, a student and tennis player at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, first hooked up with Halloran while she was working for him, an “absolute no-no” under city and council rules, a council source said. Batista has since quit her intern gig.

It became clear to other staffers last fall that Batista, who filed and answered phones, was dating her boss.

“There was this ‘here we go again’ ” feeling among staff, said a source close to Halloran.

Halloran loses staff, pisses off Quinn

From the Daily News:

Queens City Councilman Dan Halloran is losing another top aide in the wake of his arrest on federal corruption charges.

halloran by hagen.jpgI tweeted earlier about Legislative Director John Mulvey's plan to leave Halloran's staff this Friday.

Beating him to the door after bombshell allegations that Halloran conspired to help state Sen. Malcolm Smith get into the GOP primary for mayor: The councilman's trusty chief of staff, Chrissy Voskerichian, who took off on Monday.

AND

Tabone has emailed friends and acquaintances, offering to perform legal work at cut-rate prices.

“I find that this is the year where I need to focus my energies on growing my law practice,” Tabone wrote, according to a copy of the email obtained by the Daily News.

“If you are spread thin and can not make an appearance or a transaction doesn’t fit your parameters please keep me in mind!”

Tabone’s plea made no mention of the legal jam he’s in.

From the NY Post:

Halloran’s office issued a delusional press release yesterday about capital spending — without mentioning that he’s lost his legislative powers after being charged with taking a bribe in a sensational federal corruption case that also ensnared state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) and two Republican Party leaders.

“I thank my hard-working staff and all the constituents who put so much time and effort into this process over the past several months,” Halloran is quoted saying in the release.

“We learned a great deal. I especially congratulate the winners and encourage even more participation next year in every district.”

Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced last week that she and the Queens council delegation were assuming control of Halloran’s funds, so he’s out of the picture.

“He doesn’t have any fund-making decisions,” said Jamie McShane, Quinn’s spokesman. “He was stripped.”

The constituent recommendations are “nonbinding,” McShane noted.

From the Gotham Gazette:

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn called Councilman Dan Halloran's press release celebrating his district's participatory budget "stupid" and "outrageous."

Quinn spoke about the embattled Republican councilman during a press conference in City Hall today, referencing one of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's oft-used turns of phrase.

"I don't usually quote Mike Bloomberg, but it's one of the stupidest things I have ever seen," Quinn said, adding that Halloran would have no say in how discretionary funds would be allocated for the projects his residents voted on last week.

"I don't care how many stupid press releases he issues," she said.

Someone's shown up a little late to the party

From the Daily News:

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is moving Council staffers out of City Hall and into the disaster zone to help victims of superstorm Sandy, the Daily News has learned.

At least a dozen staffers are being sent into the devastated communities, with each staffer’s skills matched to the areas where they are needed most.

For example, Council finance staffer John Lisyanskiy, who speaks Russian, will be sent to Coney Island, where there are large numbers of Russian-speaking residents.

“Somebody else can take care of the finances for now,” she said.

Quinn is a likely candidate for mayor next year. Intended or not, such assistance will give her and the Council greater visibility.

Shouldn't this have been done the day after the storm, not 2 weeks later?

Someone has no shame.

Full-time pay for part-time work

From the Daily News:

It really pays to be a part-time staffer in the state Legislature.

In one of Albany’s dirty little secrets, some of the Legislature’s highest-paid employees aren’t required to work anywhere near full-time hours — but pull in salaries and benefits as if they did.

These workers — 345 in the state Senate, 271 in the Assembly — enjoy a special annual designation that lowers the mandatory number of hours they must work each week, compared with 35-hour weeks most employees put in.

The advantage, little known to the taxpaying public, is that having fewer required work-hours can free up these staffers to do campaign work that legally can’t be done while punched in on the state clock, insiders say. Or, in other cases, the workers are able to focus on their nongovernment side jobs.

“How does that benefit the public?” questioned Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause/New York.

“It raises questions as to whether this is a scheme to subsidize political activities on the taxpayers’ dime,” she added.

Of the 345 Senate staffers who get the special designation, 267 work for the GOP majority, and 78 toil for Democrats, according to the latest payroll records. Some 56 of the Senate “part-timers” take home at least $50,000 — and seven of them make more than $100,000.