Repairs increase property taxes

From NY1:

Homeowners who decide to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy may find that they are paying for the privilege.

State property tax law treats repairs to a home in the same way it does improvements, like a deck or an addition. Which means New Yorkers looking to restore their home to the same state it was in before the storm, could see a spike in their property tax bill.

"Many of these people, their position is, 'Even if I do build, my taxes are going to go up. I can't afford it. I'm being taxed out. I'm being taxed out,'" said Brooklyn Councilman Domenic Recchia. "And that's what we in government have to stop."

The issue was raised at a City Council hearing Thursday.

On the heels of that hearing, Council Speaker Christine Quinn came out in favor of changing the law, which would require approval from Albany. She said it is the fair thing to do to distinguish between the different kinds of construction work.

"Clearly, one person is improving their property at their discretion, and the other is trying [to] restore their life and home after a devastating event outside of their control," Quinn said in a statement.

It's likely that Recchia got the message

From The Brooklyn Paper:

A group of outraged Hurricane Sandy victims nearly ran Councilman Domenic Recchia out of a Community Board 13 meeting on a rail Wednesday after the legislator announced that a desperately needed Coney Island sewer repair project won’t begin until 2016.

Residents have been demanding the city update the neighborhood’s infrastructure for years, claiming that sewers constantly overflow during big storms.

“If we get a hard rain, a tough rain, we’re going to get that water again. And it’s not good,” said CB13 member Ronald Stewart.

When Hurricane Sandy hit, sewer backups washed out most of the neighborhood’s residential streets, say residents, who claim the People’s Playground wouldn’t survive another major storm if it didn’t get the upgrade the city promised.

“We can’t survive to 2016 if we get another Sandy!” resident Kenny Jones said. “Why is Coney Island taking so long?”

Recchia (D–Coney Island) asked the more than 20 community members attending the meeting to be patient, claiming that the city wants to complete the project as soon as possible.

But Recchia’s pleas fell on deaf ears — ears deafened by audience members shouting at the council’s Finance Committee chairman.

“We don’t need another Sandy!” screamed Brighton Beach activist Ida Sanoff. “We get another nor’easter, we’re going to be underwater!”

The meeting go so out of hand that cops in attendance shouted everyone down as CB13 chairman Eddie Mark incessantly banged his gavel to restore order.

Maybe someday people in Queens will grow a pair similar to the one that the people in Brooklyn own. I'm not saying that shouting matches should be part of the discourse of every meeting with elected officials, but there is a time and a place to show them you mean business.

Comrie on top, Crowley at the bottom

From the Daily News:

City Councilman Leroy Comrie was once again the borough’s big winner in the annual battle for discretionary funds.

Comrie, the deputy majority leader of the City Council and head of its Queens delegation, received $1.1 million in funds for senior, youth, cultural and other programs.

“I received over $3 million in requests,” said Comrie (D-St. Albans). “I direct most of the money to groups that are taking care of south Queens residents even if it’s a citywide or borough-wide program.”

Individual lawmakers receive so-called member items as part of the annual city budget to fund nonprofit and civic groups in their districts.

The Queens delegation, under Comrie, also controls how additional borough-wide funds are distributed.

Comrie, who is credited by his colleagues for his even-handed approach, also benefits from a close relationship with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan).
Those who don’t can end up at the bottom of the list.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) received $378,321 — about half of what she received a year ago. In fact, the only person lower than Crowley on the citywide list is scandal-plagued Councilman Larry Seabrook, who is barred from handling any discretionary funds in his district.

Crowley reportedly angered Quinn by going “rogue” and running in the Democratic congressional primary for the 6th Congressional District seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Gary Ackerman.

Comforting to know that your district's funding is dependent on whether or not the speaker has personal problems with your council member, isn't it?

Now let's see who's being funded with our tax dollars. From the Daily News:

The vast majority of senior centers, advocacy groups and Little Leagues that stand to collect cash from a $50 million City Council slush fund appear to be legitimate, but at least 39 of them are so badly run, they’ve had their tax-exempt status revoked. The groups lost their status for failing to file a tax return for three straight years.

Losing tax-exempt status should be a red flag for anyone considering making a charitable donation, he said. Yet more than two dozen Council members earmarked cash for the questionable groups — including Finance Committee Chairman Domenic Recchia.

The Brooklyn Democrat, who is widely reported to be considering a run for city controller next year, sponsored $25,000 in funding for two groups that lost their status. He did not respond to requests for comment.

Another Brooklyn Democrat, Diana Reyna, sponsored $27,500 in pork for three groups that failed to file their returns, but said she counts on Council staff to root out suspect recipients.

Council members surprised kids don't take gym in school

From the Daily News:

City Council members Monday grilled the city’s health commissioner over Mayor Bloomberg’s planned supersized-soda ban, with one arguing that restoring cut gym classes would be a better way to combat obesity.

By the city’s estimate, about 40% of public school students are overweight or obese — part of the evidence the Bloomberg administration cites as justification in its latest push to reverse the obesity trend.

Yet as city lawmakers from two committees quizzed city Health Commissioner Thomas Farley, Brooklyn Councilman Domenic Recchia said his children don’t get required physical education in city schools.

In fact, when the city controller’s office reviewed 31 elementary schools last year, it found that none offered physical education classes required under state law.

“If obesity is so important, why is gym being cut?” Recchia asked.

Are these people serious? The City Council funds the construction of school extensions which are built on top of schoolyards and knows that gyms are subdivided into classrooms and then they wonder out loud why kids aren't exercising in school? These people are the problem, not the solution.

And check out these same council members stuffing their faces with junk food during a hearing about banning soda...

More pork doled out to favored council members

From the Daily News:

The heartiest eaters at the trough of City Council slush funds were named Tuesday in a good government group report which argues that the way the money's doled out gives the Council speaker too much sway over individual members.

Brooklyn Democrat Domenic Recchia, the powerful head of the council’s Finance Committee, was number one in FY 2012 with $12.1 million, according to Citizens Union.

Councilman Erik Martin Dilan (D-Brooklyn) came in second with $11.3 million and Councilman Lew Fidler (D-Brooklyn) was third with $10.7 million.

The Council allocated $459 (fixed) million in discretionary funds in FY 2012. Members gave the money to non-profits and used it for capital expenditures on city property.

Citizen Union head Dick Dadey said the funds should be handed out “more objectively” and with “greater equity” and that politics should be taken out of the process.

“The City Council speaker and some of the other leaders have too much say in what gets distributed,” he said. “One could argue that that’s a way to keep the Council in line as you try and move a legislative agenda forward.”

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn pointed out in a statement that Council had already made changes to make its expense funds more transparent and was planning to do the same with capital funds.

From the NY Post:

A new analysis of how the City Council allocated more than $2 billion in discretionary funds between 2009 and 2012 has found a wide gulf between the haves and have-nots.

Dominic Recchia (D-Brooklyn), chairman of the powerful Finance Committee, was the biggest winner in the Citizens Union study, collecting $66.7 million to spend on capital projects and nonprofits of his choosing. Erik Dilan (D-Brooklyn), an ally of Brooklyn Democratic leader Vito Lopez, came in second with $37 million.

Dead last in 51st place were Dan Halloran (R-Queens) and his predecessor Tony Avella, now a state senator. Over the four-year period, they pulled in just $9.5 million for their constituents.

Avella, an outspoken critic of Council Speaker Christine Quinn, said the results should come as no surprise to anyone.

“Nothing is done by merit,” he said. “I was independent and took on the speaker.”

From the NY Post:

Council Speaker Christine Quinn is yanking Seabrook’s discretionary funds in the upcoming budget as the beleaguered Bronx politician gears up for a second federal trial on charges of extortion, money-laundering and fraud, The Post has learned.

“Council Member Seabrook and I have come to a mutual agreement that this year’s funding to his district will be determined by the Speaker’s Office and the Bronx delegation chair,” Quinn said in a prepared statement, reversing her position on the issue from several months ago.

“All allocations will undergo the appropriate review and vetting process, including by the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services and city agencies,” she said.
In February 2010, federal prosecutors alleged that from 2002 through 2009, Seabrook funneled more than $1 million in council member items — also known as pork — to nonprofits he controlled, with about half that money lining the pockets of his girlfriend and family members.

Marty wants Coney casino

From The Brooklyn Paper:

Borough President Markowitz wants to see casinos on Coney Island if Gov. Cuomo makes good on his plan to legalize table gaming in the state.

“Casino gambling ... would bring jobs and revenue to potential locations in New York City, especially Coney Island, which is a natural,” Markowitz said in a release.

In the latest lofty vision for a revitalized Coney Island, gambling would help draw visitors to an area that the city hopes to turn into a glitzy, year-round recreation destination boasting amusements, restaurants, arcades and hotels.

But other community leaders say casinos are too much of a gamble to endorse.

“I just want to make sure that people in the community don’t get hurt,” said Councilman Dominic Recchia (D–Coney Island) “People get addicted to gambling; it’s a problem.”

Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D–Sheepshead Bay) cited a 1999 study that found areas within 50 miles of casinos have a 50 percent greater instance of gambling addiction and an 18 percent higher bankruptcy rate.

Finance chair likes Forest Hills Stadium plan

From the Daily News:

A nonprofit group that hopes to bring back tennis to a Queens stadium that long hosted the U.S. Open may get taxpayer cash for its ambitious plan, the Daily News has learned.

The chairman of the City Council’s Finance ommittee has proposed a public-private partnership to back what he calls a “beautiful” plan to rejuvenate West Side Stadium in Forest Hills.

Brooklyn Councilman Domenic Recchia hailed the nonprofit Stadium Arts Alliance for its vision to host major tennis matches, concerts, art exhibits and ice hockey in the aging landmark.

“Now is the time we have to address this,” Recchia said of re-using the crumbling venue where the U.S. Open was played from 1923 to 1977.

The alliance’s chairman, John Banks, said he “absolutely” supports the partnership.

“Anything that would help make this more of a reality is something we would be interested in discussing,” he said.

The club that owns the stadium is reviewing bids from developers who are mostly believed to have proposed gutting the structure for condos.

The club, which is expected to pick a winner early next year, can complete a sale or lease only with a two-thirds majority of its members.

Recchia called the alliance’s proposal “a victory for the entire community.” He said it’s too early to break down how much city money the alliance might snag.

Money that Quinn didn't cut...

From the NY Post:

Let’s be clear: Nobody should be getting member-item money.

These are lump-sum appropriations that corrupt the political process by giving incumbents cash to curry unfair favor with constituents; simultaneously, these cash goodies give bullying council bosses undue leverage over their underlings.

And Vallone — who apparently irritated Quinn and had his cash yanked as an example — proves the point.

Yet Quinn is cool with Lopez, who attracts the FBI like overripe pork attracts flies. Quinn channeled $4.4 million this year to his Brooklyn power base — the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council — through Brooklyn council members Domenic Recchia, Erik Dilan, Stephen Levin and Elizabeth Crowley.

While some $3.75 million is earmarked for alleged “capital construction,” the rest neatly covers salary and benefits for:

* Chris Fisher, Ridgewood executive director/Lopez campaign treasurer ($607,000).

* Angela Battaglia, Ridgewood’s housing director/Lopez girlfriend ($282,940).

(Quinn also managed to find $2 million for the United Federation of Teachers’ academically shaky charter school — but that’s a tale for another day.)

Council members bribe Lopez with pork

From the Daily News:

The taint of a federal investigation hasn't stopped City Council members from lavishing pork on the social-services empire founded by Brooklyn Democratic boss Vito Lopez.

The Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, which was slapped with corruption probe subpoenas last fall, will be the second largest recipient of Council earmarks next year.

Documents released yesterday show Lopez's group is poised to pick up $607,000 from the Council's Brooklyn delegation - andmembers Erik Martin Dilan, Domenic Recchia, Elizabeth Crowley and Stephen Levin.

Ridgewood Bushwick is the subject of ongoing criminal probes by the FBI and the city's Department of Investigation. It has millions of dollars in city contracts - but may have difficulty collecting new Council money because of delays in filing needed documents with the state attorney general.

Co-op and condo owners get some relief

From the NY Post:

The city is going to undertake a sweeping review of how co-ops and condos are taxed following an outcry by owners in Queens who saw the assessed market value of some properties shoot up as much as 147 percent this year, The Post has learned.

The review was part of a deal hammered out between the Finance Department and the City Council, whose leaders came down hard on the administration after the tentative tax roll was released in January with assessments that would have raised taxes on some middle-class owners by 25 to 30 percent.

Councilman Dominic Recchia (D-Queens), the Finance Committee chair, said taxes on the city's 364,893 co-ops and 144,622 condos "would definitely go down" once the review was completed, probably next year.

Cemusa needs to get with the shoveling program

From Fox 5:

There is a contract controversy between New York City and the company that is supposed to clean the snow from local bus stops.

The city has a contract with a company that builds and maintains bus stops. The company pays the city for the rights to supply the shelters and earn advertising dollars in return. But part of the contract includes snow removal, but the snow keeps piling up in front of many bus stops.

Several feet of snow barricade the bus shelter, not just in Queens, but at bus stops across the city. It's a situation that' not just dangerous. It's in violation of the city's contract with a company that has a contract for the bus shelters. One city councilman is calling on the company to do its job or face a formal inquiry.

Domenic Recchia says, "I believe millions could be refunded back to the city because they're not living up to their contract, but more importantly, who is overseeing it, what's going on, and maybe they don't want the contract anymore."

According to the contract, the company is supposed to shovel three feet around the bus shelters to people can get to the bus. Footprints show where people have to make a path through the snow, just to get to where they're going. It's been a common complaint at the city's blizzard hearings. They're supposed to clear shelters within four hours after the snow stops. But time and again, they have failed.

The company could be found in breach of contract with the city. The contract earns the city $1.4 billion.

Most Queens council members MIA during storm

From Sheepshead Bites:

With just about all of the roads finally clear, outrage at the city’s bungled response to the December 26 blizzard is now spreading beyond the Mayor’s office and the Sanitation Department. Flatbush Scoop, a blog owned by Yeshiva World News, is laying into our local City Council representatives for being MIA as residents struggled to cope.

They give high marks to Councilman David Greenfield, who was caught on video blasting the city’s response and the decision to clear bike lanes before residential streets. But other councilmembers received scathing reviews:

We at FlatbushScoop.com were shocked when we reached out to all the local Council Members representing the Jewish areas that were hard-hit by the Bloomberg Blizzard. We expected them to at the very least have staff answer our phone calls. Sadly, many were on vacation or simply did not answer the phone. Please don’t forgot that these politicians were NOT THERE FOR YOU next time these politicians ask for your vote.

Flatbush Scoop also put together a shame list of four local representatives – three of whom represent parts our coverage area – that were on vacation or otherwise unavailable during the storm.

FLATBUSHSCOOP.COM’S SHAME ON YOU LIST:

1. Brad Lander – Councilman Lander’s Boro Park portion of his district was hard-hit. On Monday his office wasn’t event taking phone calls. On Tuesday, when we asked for the Councilman we were told he was on vacation!

2. Mike Nelson – There were rumors of Councilman Nelson sighting this week but we called his office every single day this week and couldn’t get through even once!

3. Domenic Recchia – Councilman Recchia had some of the worst snow-piled streets in his Gravesend district. While some people told us they saw Recchia in the beginning of the week, his office was closed!

4. Lew Fidler – Councilman Fidler was on vacation this week. Enough said.

Ah, well where the hell were the representatives of Queens? Other than Council Members Peter Vallone and Dan Halloran, who seemed to be on every newscast you turned on complaining about the city's response, Queens council members were completely MIA. Their offices were either not answering the phone, not responsive or on vacation. Share your experiences here.

(Oh, and a lot of the third termers don't even bother to show up to work anymore.)

Marty's in-compliance concert sucked

From the Brooklyn Paper:

Angry patrons of Borough President Markowitz’s Seaside Concert series in Coney Island were fuming over the city’s noise crackdown at the controversial venue, where a new law kept performer’s voices — and their jams — at a whisper Thursday night.

“It’s like music on mute!” said Louis Perez of Sunset Park, who didn’t have to raise his voice while standing in the middle of Asser Levy Seaside Park. “The performers should start doing sign language!”

For the second week in a row, the volume was turned down because the concerts — which have been held at the venue since 1991 — now must conform to a law that demands the music not exceed 10-decibels above the normal street sound level near two synagogues facing the park.

“This is terrible!” said Lillian Rowlett, who was “listening” with family and friends. “We can’t hear anything, we don’t know what’s going on.”

At times, it seemed that even the performers were having trouble hearing, as they were often wildly off-key.

And several times during the show, when performers asked the audience, “How do you feel Brooklyn?” the crowd replied with resounding boos. At another point, a performer asked, “Can you hear me?” The crowd unanimously replied, “No!”

Markowitz did not hide his irritation with the new rules when addressing the audience.

“We’re under terrible constraint,” Markowitz said. “We didn’t ask for this, it’s being imposed on us. Next year, we’ll get this straightened out one way or another, we’re so sorry.”

The “10-decibel law” was a last-minute measure pushed through the City Council by Mayor Bloomberg in June as a way to keep the concerts going this summer after it was discovered that the shows had, for years, been in violation of a law that prohibited amplified music within 500 feet of a house of worship.

As it turned out, the concerts could not even adhere to the new law.

"One of the points that was left out by this reporter was that this was the FIRST time in the history of Marty giving his summer concerts that he actually LEFT the concert before it was over. He was so pissed off. Other have said he was actually crying about the situation. He doesn't realize that he was at fault & his promoter. It was his buddies (Councilman Recchia & others) that passed the new law & Mayor Bloomberg signed it into law. Marty is a serial violator of the law - violating the old 500 foot rule (for over 19 years) & the new rules. Markowitz still doesn't get it: An 8000 seat amphitheater in a bedroom community just won't work out well." - anonymous

A little on the side

This comes from the Gotham Gazette. Interesting ranges there...

Too close for comfort?

It's Friday. City Hall is crumbling and our governmental representatives have found refuge elsewhere. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has apparently moved into the mayor's cubicle and brought a podium with her to announce their cohabitation. These are some scary times in our fair city. Go ahead and caption this photo...

Budgetary winners and losers

From Gotham Gazette:

When it comes to bringing home the bacon, some City Council members do a lot better than others.

According to an analysis by Gotham Gazette, Councilmember and Finance Committee chair Domenic Recchia sponsored more individual member items than any other council member in this year's budget (more on its approval here). Recchia raked in nearly $1.3 million for nonprofits of his choice.

Recchia was one of four members -- Lewis Fidler, Leroy Comrie and James Oddo are the others -- who topped the million-dollar mark in member items, often referred to as council pork.

At the other end of the spectrum, Elizabeth Crowley garnered the least amount of money with $358,321, falling behind recently indicted Larry Seabrook, who had $362,276. Vincent Gentile, Gale Brewer, Margaret Chin and Helen Foster also got less than $400,000

Crowley's pot supposedly got chopped because she pissed off her royal highness, Christine Quinn.