Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Porking the public

From the Daily News:

Two City Council members running for Manhattan borough president have showered taxpayer cash on nonprofit groups whose boards and staffers have contributed to their campaigns.

City Councilwoman Jessica Lappin (D-Manhattan) raked in nearly $250,000 in hundreds of campaign contributions from board members at 46 nonprofits she's slathered with pork.

And a Daily News review of the 25 groups that got the biggest grants from Councilman Robert Jackson found that at least 20 of them had board members or employees who have given to his campaigns.

All 51 members of Council are given at least $400,000 to hand out to nonprofits that help people in their district plus sometimes millions more to help nonprofits with new construction projects.

The pork has a checkered history with several Councilmembers busted in recent years for illegally using the funds to enrich themselves or their careers.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sure they do this but at least in Manhattan and Brooklyn the money goes to organizations that have talent. In Queens they go to organizations that provide photo ops for carefully targeted tweeder groups.

Talent is an afterthought (that is unless you like a steady stream of third world dance troops.)

Imagine if Lincoln Center was in Long Island City?

At opening night not only would Zuban Mahta cool his heels stage right, you could not get Jimmy off the stage!

Anonymous said...

She sure looks like a phoney in the making. Another Leona Helmsley if you ask me. Queens of Mean.

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