Frank Seddio resigns from chairing Brooklyn Democratic Party

Gothamist


After nearly eight years as head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, Frank Seddio has stepped down. "Good riddance to Brooklyn’s dirty, undemocratic Democratic boss," the Daily News editorial board proclaimed on hearing the news of Seddio's retirement.

Seddio was criticized during his tenure for perpetuating Kings county's powerful political machine, which is responsible for endorsing judicial candidates, choosing nominees during primary elections and setting party rules. So-called proxy voting plagued how meetings operated when they were held, and reformer club New Kings Democrats perpetually pushed Seddio to make the party operations more transparent.

"Let me just say that if I were any more transparent, I would be arrested for lewdness," Seddio told Gothamist in a phone interview on Monday. "I don't know what else to do. Should I take off my underwear and let them see the rest of my body?"

Despite how disgusting that would look, yes.

Maybe getting frogmarched out of his house in his britches by the feds might be in the future regarding his embezzlement case in New Jersey and where the money went from his debt in chicken restaurants in Kentucky.

 

Virginia Joe Crowley vacates Queens Democrat chairman position

NY Daily News

Joe Crowley is leaving another elected office behind.

The former New York congressman — who lost his longtime House seat to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in last year’s midterms — stepped down Tuesday evening as the chairman of the Queens Democratic Party, telling the Daily News, “It’s time to move on.”

“It’s the right choice for my life,” Crowley said in a phone interview. “I’m very proud of the work 
 I’ve done. I got a great career and I enjoyed it very, very much.”

The former Democratic boss — who served as a representative for the Queens-Bronx-spanning 14th District for 20 years and was considered a possible candidate for House speaker before his midterm defeat — said he’s resigning to dedicate himself wholeheartedly to his new job as a lobbyist for Washington, D.C., powerhouse Squire Patton Boggs.

“That’s certainly part of it,” Crowley said, adding he will split his time between the capital and New York.


So that election hearing for the chair at the Georgia Diner was a colossal waste of time. Except to boost up Crowley's ego and fragile sense of self-worth and entitlement

Katz looking to run for Brown's seat

From the Queens Chronicle:

Multiple sources have told the Chronicle that Borough President Melinda Katz would be interested in running for District Attorney should DA Richard Brown opt not to seek re-election in 2019; or in an appointment to the post should he choose to retire.

Katz would not dignify the question when asked Wednesday by the Chronicle. “Judge Brown is a great DA, and there’s no indication he intends to retire,” she said.

A source with knowledge of Queens politics partially confirmed both other sources’ accounts and that of the borough president, saying Katz, an attorney, would be interested in the top prosecutor’s office under either scenario.

“But there’s no vacancy; and Brown’s not going anywhere,” the source said.

Brown himself was first appointed to the post in 1991 by then-Gov. Mario Cuomo — district attorney is a state position — and has been repeatedly re-elected with few serious challengers. But he does have health issues.

Katz, who is term-limited out of the Borough President’s Office after 2021, has said in the past that she wants to have a leadership role on matters of importance to the city when her term ends.

Israel will not run for re-election

From New York Magazine:

Long Island Democrat Steve Israel announced that he will not run for reelection this year, bringing his 15 years in Congress to an end. He said in a statement that he was excited to pursue "new passions and develop new interests, mainly spend more time writing my second novel" and about "spending more time home and frequenting my beloved New York diners." He chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during the last two election cycles, which means he is well acquainted with the factors that make a seat hard to win. His district is currently rated a toss-up.

1000 new cops won't decrease response times

From LTV Squad:

There has been no mention of reopening the closed firehouses or hiring additional EMTs. When you combine these facts with a rapidly increasing population, the math frankly does not look good for anyone expecting a timely response to their 911 calls.

As you can see in the math above, 1000 new police officers would not result a significant amount of new patrols on a neighborhood level. 1000 new officers divided by 98 commands (77 neighborhood Precincts, 12 transit districts, 9 housing ‘service areas’) equals 10.2 new officers per station. 10 officers divided by 3 shifts yields 3 additional officers per shift (or, one patrol car and a foot post).

2 additional patrols per stationhouse sounds good, but we haven’t factored in the retirement rate yet. Unfortunately, this is currently an unknown number.

What is known about the attrition rate doesn’t look good: One article (from 2013) states 3000 officers are set to retire. This is backed by a story from 2012. Former city councilman Peter Vallone stated at the time that “I think people should be extremely worried…”.

Assuming the old published numbers are correct, we’re going into the red and 1000 new officers won’t make up the difference.

Lots of people kissing NY & NJ goodbye

From Forbes:

More people are moving out of New Jersey than are moving in. The same is true for New York and Illinois. Those three states top the “outbound” list compiled by United Van Lines, the big St. Louis-based moving company that has put together an annual survey of where Americans are moving for the last 38 years. The company analyzed a total of 128,000 moves across the 48 continental states and the District of Columbia in 2014 and came up with a picture of migration patterns across the US.

According to Michael Stoll, a professor of public policy at University of California, Los Angeles, and a consultant to United Van Lines who studies American migration, the moves reflect the increasing numbers of retiring baby boomers who are leaving colder, more expensive states in the Northeast and Midwest in favor of lower-cost locations with retirement infrastructures like Florida and Arizona. Long-term shifts in the US economy and the hit to employment in many states resulting from the slow recovery are also prompting many Americans to relocate.

New Jersey has been stuck at the top of the outbound list for four of the past five years. In 2014 nearly 65% more people moved out than moved in. According to Stoll, the Great Recession hit the state especially hard, accelerating a longtime shift in manufacturing to the southern states, away from the Northeast. Damage done by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the slow pace of rebuilding since has also driven people away. Plus New Jersey has a population that is older than other states’ and the cold climate is driving retirement-age people south. Further, housing costs tend to be high there, especially in northern New Jersey which is subject to demand from people who work in Manhattan.

New York comes in at second place for some of the same reasons. High housing prices, more retirees and a desire for a warmer climate are driving lots of people out of the state. Like New Jersey, Illinois, at No. 3 on the list, got hit disproportionately hard by the Great Recession, notes Stoll, especially in the manufacturing sector, and the state has had a slow recovery. Though job losses have slowed, the rate of job growth in Illinois is still below the national average and its older population has been relocating.

Joe Conley is retiring from CB2

From Sunnyside Post:

Joe Conley, the long-serving Community Board 2 chair, is stepping down.

Multiple sources said that Conley, who has been chair for over 25 years, will be making the announcement tonight when Community Board 2 has its full monthly meeting.

Conley’s departure from the community board will result in the biggest shake up the board has seen in nearly 30 years. For the past decade, the same leadership structure has been in place: Conley as chairman; Steve Cooper, first vice chairman; Patrick O’Brien, second vice chairman; Lisa Deller, secretary, and Diane Ballek, treasurer.

The new chair will take the helm at a time when there are many ongoing issues. There is the ongoing debate about backyard seating in Long Island City, the construction of affordable housing, continued development and the possible construction over the Sunnyside Yards.

Thanks for the memories

From the Queens Chronicle:

After more than 50 years of serving the Ozone Park area, Aldo Calore of Aldo’s Pizzeria & Restaurant has retired, according to local community leaders.

Calore started his pizza-making career at the age of 16, working for New Park Pizza in Howard Beach.

Six years later, he opened his own pizzeria at 76-15 101 Ave. in Ozone Park, before moving to 137-01 Cross Bay Blvd.

Ozone Park Civic Association President Howard Kamph said he has fond memories of the restaurant, located a short walk away from his house.

“My nights out was going to his restaurant,” Kamph said. “He gave me the biggest portion for the price.”

Kamph said Calore was engaged in the community, and reached out to anybody who needed help.

“Anybody who came to him, he donated to them,” he said.

No wonder the city never has money

From the NY Post:

Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña will collect both a city salary and her pension for a total income of $412,193 a year — nearly twice as much as Mayor de Blasio is being paid.

Farina is getting a Department of Education salary of $212,614 — the same as her predecessor, Dennis Walcott, officials told The Post.

But she will also continue to collect her $199,579-a-year DOE pension, which she received upon retiring in 2006 after a 40-year career in the city schools.

“She’s earned her pension, and she’s worth every dime of her salary,” said Phil Walzak, a spokesman for de Blasio.

A Jan. 1 letter offer by de Blasio, signed by Farina, states she will additionally get the DOE’s managerial-benefits package, including vacation and sick-leave allowance.

She can take a $1,000-a-year bonus to opt out of health and welfare benefits, which she already gets as a city pensioner.

She also gets a car and a driver.

Her total income will far exceed that of de Blasio, whose salary is set at $225,000.

All about Vito

From the Daily News:

Embattled Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez is facing a major new health crisis, he told the Daily News.

Already fighting cancer, Lopez said doctors have found two new growths on his brain and are trying to determine if those growths are cancerous.

Doctors are looking for a way to do a biopsy without opening the veteran assemblyman’s skull, he said.

From the Daily News:

Assemblyman Vito Lopez refused to testify before a state ethics commission probing allegations of his pervy behavior because of a related criminal probe, a source close to Lopez told the Daily News.

The source insists Lopez did not testify before the Joint Commission on Public Ethics at the urging of his lawyer because the interviews were being done in conjunction with the criminal probe by Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan.

The source said Lopez’s lawyer told the ethics commission that the assemblyman would “come in and talk to JCOPE only, but they said ‘no.’”

From the NY Post:

Under fire for sex-harassment charges, State Assemblyman Vito Lopez is planning a political strategy session with allies next week that could propel him toward a run for City Council — or retirement by the end of the year.

At the state Capitol yesterday to vote on the new state budget, the ex-Brooklyn Democratic boss — who is battling thyroid cancer and two new growths on the brain — strongly hinted he’ll either run for City Council in November or retire from the Assembly by the end of the year.

“It is increasingly more difficult for me to travel back and forth to Albany,” said Lopez (right), facing ethics and criminal investigations into allegations that he sexually harassed female Assembly aides last year.

“In the last eight months, I’ve gotten pneumonia twice,” Lopez said in the Assembly. “I’m continuing to have cancer-related problems, and I find it extremely difficult to sustain even another year here.”

Public worker benefits are killing gov't services

From the NY Post:

Across New York, the cost of health benefits for retired government employees is growing so rapidly that it threatens to crowd out funding for essential government services. Rather than lay off police or close libraries, public officials may want to use their discretion to alter retiree health insurance — but some state legislators are trying to take away that discretion.

These lawmakers are introducing bills that would prevent government officials from reducing current benefit levels — in effect, forcing them to sacrifice core services instead.

In fiscal year 2012, New York City will pay $1.6 billion for health insurance for retired government employees — more than is budgeted for transportation and park operations combined. The state paid $1.3 billion for retiree health care in fiscal year 2011-12, as much as it gave to support the City University.

Retiree health-insurance costs are up 44 percent in the city budget and by a third in the state budget from just five years ago — and that’s still not enough to fully fund the future benefits that have been promised.

These unfunded liabilities are staggering — and growing. The most recent estimates are $84 billion for the city and $56 billion for the state. The Empire Center estimated the statewide unfunded liability at more than $200 billion in 2010.

New York City has the greatest liability because its health benefits are the most generous. It takes only 10 years of employment to vest for lifetime retiree health benefits, which begin upon retirement at any age and require no retiree premium contributions. The city even reimburses retirees over age 65 for the full cost of their Medicare Part B premiums.

Current law lets public employers make changes to health benefits. The only exception is for teachers in schools outside New York City; a 2009 law protects their retiree health benefits from reduction.

Now other unions are seeking the same protection. Six bills have been introduced in the Legislature to prevent state and local governments from reducing retiree health benefits unless public-employee unions agree to an equivalent reduction for their active members via collective bargaining — a highly unlikely event.

Their proponents claim these bills would have no fiscal impact because they provide no new benefits. But they would make it virtually impossible to save money at a time when the flexibility to grapple with pressing fiscal challenges is urgently needed.

As the costs of retiree health benefits grow, local governments and school districts across New York will have to choose between reasonable reductions in benefits or cuts in crucial services: police and fire, schools, roads and bridges, parks and so on.

Government retirees should always be treated fairly and with due respect for their public service, but it’s a mistake to tie the hands of state and local elected officials further. With health-care costs skyrocketing — and the unfunded liabilities already at staggering levels — they shouldn’t be put in a position where they have to lay off current workers and reduce services because they have no latitude in addressing retiree health-insurance costs.

Ackerman falls on the Ides of March

From the Daily News:

Rep. Gary Ackerman said Thursday he won’t seek re-election — a surprise announcement made two hours after a possible challenger vowed not to run against the veteran Democratic congressman.

The Queens political icon, who is in his 15th term, gave no reason for his decision in an early evening press release. He just thanked Queens and Long Island voters for their support in a career that saw him elected to the state Senate in 1978, followed five years later by a successful run for a seat in the House.

“I’ve been truly privileged to have had the opportunity to fight for the beliefs of my neighbors in both the state Capitol and in the halls of Congress,” Ackerman’s statement said.

Later, in a speech to Democratic club members in Queens that Ackerman, 69, said would be his last as a candidate, the congressional stalwart and staunch supporter of Israel said he looks forward to spending more time with family, a source at the meeting said.

His out-of-nowhere press release, sent at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday, caught supporters and politicos off guard — none more so than state Assemblyman Rory Lancman, who had announced at 5:30 p.m. Thursday that he wouldn’t run against Ackerman.

Other political pigs are already lining up at the trough.

Pricey pension pandering

From the NY Post:

Bowing to union pressure, legislators are proposing a sweeping pension bill that would allow thousands of state and city government workers to retire early with full benefits — at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to taxpayers, The Post has learned.

The early-retirement push clashes with Gov. Cuomo’s drive — backed by Mayor Bloomberg — to scale back pension costs.

The Assembly measure would allow public employees, including city teachers, to retire with full benefits at age 55 with 25 years of service.

Many public employees have to work at least 27 or 30 years before earning full retirement benefits. Others have to work until age 62 to qualify.

The bill’s sponsors admitted it would increase the state pension system’s cost by $167 million and boost city pension costs by tens of millions of dollars.

Catching the double-dippers

From the NY Post:

There's been a deep drop in double-dipping.

Comptroller John Liu turned up only 21 retirees in 2009 collecting both pensions and paychecks from the city without getting the necessary waivers, according to the most recent audits. Liu estimated they collected $313,797 in improper pay.

In his annual review a year before, the comptroller discovered 59 individuals in the double-dipping pool. He put their illegal take at $751,428.

"There appears to be a lot more enforcement," said one official.

Generally, a retired city worker under 65 isn't allowed to earn more than $30,000 a year when re-employed in another city or state job and collecting a pension.

Hundreds of retirees are granted waivers, most notably ex-cops who land jobs as investigators for the five district attorneys and other agencies.

Those without the waivers get snagged by extensive computer screenings conducted by Liu's office, which compares the roll of 329,601 city pensioners against the records of 409,530 city and 330,978 state employees.

Eleven of the 21 double-dippers cited by Liu in this round worked as consultants for the city.

Two openings on CB7

From the Times Ledger:

Gene Brennan began his long career in public service by serving nearly 20 years as a detective in the NYPD. During that time the Whitestone resident started to take part in the Dwarf Giraffe Little League, coaching, advocating, serving on its board and eventually rising to the level of league president.

It was through his work at Dwarf Giraffe that in 2003 Brennan found Community Board 7, where he hoped to have a greater impact and to get more work done for his community.

He has since served there as a board member and key member of its Public Safety Committee, but Eugene Kelty announced at the board’s June 13 meeting that health concerns have led Brennan, 70, to retire from his position there.

From the Times Ledger:

Robert LoPinto, one of the longest-serving members of Community Board 7, has stepped down from the board, giving up his seat as second vice president and taking decades of environmental engineering and community service expertise with him.

During his more than 20 years on the board, the Whitestone resident, who most know simply as “Bob,” has worked on a wide range of issues and for many years chaired its Environmental and Sanitation Committee.

But he is moving from Queens to Long Island and is president of Shapiro Engineering in Valley Stream, so he will no longer be eligible to participate on CB 7, so his tenure there is drawing to an early close.

Time for public employees to pay their fair share

From the NY Post:

Amid its budget crisis, the city is on track to lay off teachers, close fire companies, cut social services and impose other sacrifices. Yet such reductions could be avoided if the city reformed its unusually costly commitments for retiree health-insurance and brought them in line with those of other public-sector employers.

Retired city employees can remain on the city's health insurance without paying any part of the basic premium; when they enroll in Medicare, the city reimburses the cost of their Part B premiums. By contrast, health insurance for retirees is rarely offered in the private sector. And in most states, retired public employees must pay a substantial share of the premium.

Providing this benefit for New York City retirees is a big and growing burden on local taxpayers. Retiree health insurance cost $1.5 billion in the current year and is projected to be $2.2 billion by 2015 -- a growth of 50 percent in just four years.

Some City Council members have suggested tapping into the city's Retiree Health Insurance Trust fund to avert the cuts, but that's the wrong end of the right solution. Tapping into the trust would simply take away money that is already set aside to help address existing retiree health-insurance obligations. What's needed is to change those obligations, which have already created a $70 billion unfunded liability.

That's something that the city can do in collaboration with municipal labor unions -- because, unlike public pensions, which are protected by the state Constitution, retiree health-insurance benefits are not guaranteed.

Mayersohn retiring

From the Daily News:

Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn, the dean of the Queens delegation who was first elected back in 1982, announced today she is retiring.

Our Lisa L. Colangelo reports:

"After much deliberation, I believe the time has come for me to step aside," said Mayersohn, who turns 87 in May and represents the 27th Assembly district.

Mayersohn’s longtime aide, Michael Simanowitz, is being touted as the frontrunner to replace her.

Voters will pick Mayersohn’s replacement in a special election. But placement on the critical ballot is chosen by the four District Leaders - Mayersohn, Simanowitz, former Councilman Morty Povman and Charlotte Scheman.

Thank goodness the outcome has already been decided!

Double-dipping legislators

MYFOXNY.COM - When most people retire, they leave their job, but not some New York lawmakers. A number of them are double dipping: collecting a salary and a pension.

Fox 5's Arnold Diaz got some details on Albany's dirty little secret. His investigation determined that 16 lawmakers are currently collecting a state pension as a retired legislator when it fact they're still on the job getting their full salary.

State legislators can legally double dip as long as they joined the state retirement system before 1995, have at least five years of service, and are at least 65 years old.

Other lawmakers say that loophole should be closed.

And here are the proud double-dippers

From the NY Post:

Embattled Brooklyn Democratic boss Vito Lopez and 10 other state pols will give new meaning to the words "retired in office" on Jan. 1 -- when they start new terms hours after cashing in fat pensions, The Post has learned.

The 11 double-dipping state lawmakers -- including former state Democratic Chairman Herman Farrell and former Bronx Democratic Chairman José Rivera -- are the latest to take advantage of a mind-boggling loophole that allows some elected officials to collect pension checks while still in office.

The list of lawmakers who filed their "retirement" papers with the state Comptroller's Office by the Dec. 1 deadline includes seven Republicans and four Democrats.

Lopez, 69, can expect to receive an estimated $88,000 pension annually on top of the $92,000 salary he draws as the Assembly's Housing Committee chairman.

The 12-term assemblyman, who is reportedly battling a cancer relapse, has also been dogged by criminal probes into the Brooklyn charity empire he founded.

Meanwhile, Farrell, 78, is eligible for a pension worth a projected $108,000 over his $113,500 salary as Assembly Ways & Means chairman -- by far the largest haul of the 11 who took advantage of the loophole.

To claim the plush benefit an official need only "retire" Dec. 31 and show up after the confetti falls New Year's Day to get sworn-in anew. The Legislature closed the loophole in 1995, but politicians elected to office before that date can still collect.

Why the city looks so damn dirty

From the Daily News:

The city has decided to demote 100 supervisors at the Department of Sanitation as as way to boost the number of sanitation workers available to pick up trash and plow snow...

Under the plan, released today by Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith and Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty, an additional 100 supervisory positions will be eliminated through attrition. The city will hire 100 new sanitation workers to beef up its depleted ranks.

City officials said the move will save about $20 million a year.

Joseph Mannion of the Sanitation Officers Association said the union is considering legal action to stop the demotions.

Last week, the Daily News reported that the number of sanitation workers had dropped under 5,800 - the lowest number in years. Harry Nespoli, head of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, said he was concerned that the department would not have enough manpower to tackle a big snowstorm.

The city has hired just 200 sanitation workers in the past two years, while hundreds more have retired.