Did Ex Commission Joel Bondy Set Up the City?
Bondy used to work with indicted CityTime workers for a subcontractor of the project
City Comptroller John Liu warned Thursday that the city's long-delayed and over-budget computerized payroll system will be held "hostage" to the project's developer because the firm's employees are the only ones who know how to operate it. "New York City taxpayers paid hundreds of millions for the full, custom development of CityTime from scratch," said Mr. Liu, referring to the new payroll system by its name. "A decade later, CityTime is not only overdue, overpriced and wrought with allegations of fraud, but today we learned that it doesn't even come with a user manual."
The New Patronage
The process of patronage-performing favors and offering lucrative positions or rewards to people who raise money or offer service-has always been a part of government, but not to the extent that it is in American politics today, argue the Tolchins in this fascinating exposé Pinstripe Patronage . Once defined by reliable blue-collar jobs and gifts of food to the poor, patronage has moved into the boardroom and grown exponentially in worth and influence. What's particularly troubling in an era of growing deficits and cries for "smaller government" is that responsibilities once undertaken by the state are being outsourced, often without bidding, to private companies with no oversight or qualification. Report Warns City Is Yoked to Maker of Payroll System (NYT) * Liu Sees Further CityTime Woes(WSJ) * CityTime's 700M scandal gets worse: Accounting firm says only contractor has knowledge to run it (DN)
True News PM Update
News After the Morning Papers
Queens Residents Sound Off On City's Blizzard Response (NY1) * Queens Man Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison For Hate Crime(NY1) * Giffords Arrives in Texas *Don't Ask Don't Tell's Cost: $53,000 Per Dismissal (Village Voice) * Chief Schools Officer Nadelstern to retire (NYP) * JFK flier goes nuts (NYP) * Obama Adds to Emphasis on Business With Adviser Choice(NYT) * Housing Preservation Commissioner Leaving Post (NYT) * MobBust shows mob has unbreakable hold on labor unions at Ground Zero (DN) * State Senate terminations latest #s (TU) * NYC Juvenile Worker Convicted Of Molesting Girls (WCBS) * Mom offers new insight into missing girl case (WABC TV) * Mayors of NYC, Pittsburgh make AFC wager (WABC TV)* Here's your political week in review, compliments of the NYO. * Obama Adds to Emphasis on Business With Adviser Choice * How WikiLeaks Enlightened Us in 2010 - World Watch - CBS News *Keith Olbermann Ends Contract With MSNBC * Arrest warrant issued for 'kidnap' mom (NYP) * Olbermann Hosts Last Show on MSNBC (NYT)
As thousand of city workers face layoffs, cuts in their pension and their constituents faces much less city services in the future the pigs is the council are continuing their payoff system of lulus Christine Quinn passes out lulus to Council members who don't have the guts to reject corruption (DN Ed)
Looming Battle For Control of City Council Caucus
Meet the New Boss Same As the Old Boss (Tweed)
Campaign Contribution Limits Going Up
NYT Defends the Mayor Again
Could Care Less What the Boro Residents Think of Snow Removal
Snow Overkill: “The Council’s tactics resemble television’s approach to covering bad weather.” (The New York Times)Cestero Out as City Housing Chief—UPDATE
* Housing Preservation Commissioner Leaving Post(NYP)
The WFP continues to rake in the cash.
Public Relations Master Bloomberg Uses Cuomo's Layoffs to Cover City Layoffs
Bloomberg Joins Cuomo in Layoff Threats(WSJ) * Gov. Cuomo: State budget war won't shut down government (DN) * Cuomo Considers Layoffs Of At Least 10,000 State Workers (NY1) * Save the good teachers(NYP Ed) * Gov. Andrew Cuomo took his “tough-love tour” to Poughkeepsie and was well-received.* The unions are playing defense.* The mayor is trying – at times in vain – to demonstrate how much he cares about the outer boroughs.* Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes ripped the mayor for the administration’s response to the Christmas weekend blizzard, calling it “disgraceful.” * Bloomberg talks a good game on immigration reform, but his own record on the issue has been mixed.* Bloomberg’s Pension Error: “the core of the mayor’s pension reform is weak — and it all culminates in a giant step backward,” says EJ McMahon. (New York Post) * Redesigning Medicaid: “we will have some very hard choices,” said the state’s health commissioner. (Buffalo News) * Cuomo on Video: His speech at Marist, yesterday. (The Poughkeepsie Journal) * So far, it turns out, Cuomo’s carefully calibrated centrism has not proven more appealing to Republicans or independently-minded voters than ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s clean-up campaign did. (State Room)
New York's Numbers Games
Bronx School’s Top Ranking Stirs Wider Doubts About Rating System(NYT) * Pilot Program of Teacher Bonuses Is Suspended only 26 schools would receive schoolwide bonuses this year, down from about 160 schools last year, as far fewer schools met their performance targets on state standardized tests. (NYT) * Education bonuses drastically slashed as test scores drop dramatically * Middle school student accused of assaulting teacher ... with comb (DN) * School-bonus plan a bomb (NYP) * NYC Schools Chancellor Cathie Black OpEds against “last in, first out.” * Charter School Loses Bid to Stay Open (NYT) * Two Catholic Schools on West Side Will Merge (NYT) * More changes at DOE -- Eric Nadelstern, chief schools officer and once considered a possible replacement for Joel Klein, is retiring.
Not an Election Year Joseph Mercurio (Twitter)
Bike Lane Number Games
Bikes 'inflated' B'klyn nabe disputes lane 'success' data
Dress Code, Not Strict, Is Adopted for Cabbies(NYT)
TLC Approves Taxi Dress Code (Fox 5)
The TU says DiNapoli sends “all the wrong signals” by running up a $30,000 debt in his campaign account.
The Jets are OUR team, N.J. Gov. Christie tells Bloomy(DN) * Jets fans rally in Times Square to send off Gang Green to AFC Championship(DN) * Jets Host Times Square Pep Rally(DN)
Newspaper war in Brooklyn * THE QUEENS COURIER EXPANDS INTO BROOKLYN
Law and Order Mafia still has firm grip on unions, even at Ground Zero(DN) * Nearly 125 Arrested in Sweeping Mob Roundup(NYT) * Feds Make Record Mob Sweep(WSJ) * Is the Mob Done or Bouncing Back? (WSJ) * Waterfront Extortion: A Christmas Tradition (WSJ) * Questions Remain in Case of Abducted Baby Who Turned Up 23 Years Later (NYT) * NYPD's Lessons Learned From Tucson-Style Shootings (WSJ) * College student files 1.8M suit for refund against Vegas hooker (DN) * Teen Charged With Killing NJ Cop Faces New Charges (WCBS) * NY Beheading Suspect Seeks To Represent Himself (WCBS) * Ex-NYPD Cop Pleads Guilty To Murdering Girlfriend(WCBS) * Mystery haunts family amid joy (NYP) * Man wanted in connection with fatal shooting tries to rob New Haven bar dressed in drag (NYP) * Under 'lox' & keyFish 'thief' borscht-belted in B'klyn * Forced into shoplifting(NYP) * 'Tryst' teacher sues (NYP) * Ex-Cop Guilty of Killing Girlfriend (Fox 5) * Thousands of Police Pay Respects to Fallen Cop (NBC) * Queens gay basher Daniel Rodriguez gets 12 years in prison for attack outside deli
Terrorism Judge Suggests Evidence in Terror Case Supports Conviction(NYT) * UK court approves extradition of terror suspect to US over NYC plot (NYP) * Ghailani Terrorism Conviction Is Upheld (NYT)
Jenny from the Bronx?
Did 'American Idol' Slander the Bronx? (WSJ)
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.: Apparently, Jenny HAS Forgotten The Block
Path Is Sought for States to Escape Debt Burdens (NYT)
Spitzer’s book
SEC Charges Investment Advisers, Firms With Fraud(WSJ)
GE It's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow
Blueprint for competition Jeffrey R. Immelt Obama has asked for my help in spurring job growth; here's my plan.
Obama to visit GE turbine plant in upstate NY(WSJ) * President Obama's political chief out after GOP sweep(DN) * Obama Picks G.E. Chief for Board as Focus Turns to Jobs* President Obama In Schenectady: Full Speech Text
*ProPublica ProPublica
Jon Stewart Ridicules Rep. Steve Cohen For Likening The GOP To Nazis
Gatemouth: In our political discourse, the term “NAZI” has become our other “N-Word.” (Room Eight)
Stephen Colbert Chides Limbaugh For Ripping Off His Character ‘Ching Chong Ding Dong’
Media and New Tech
Google's CEO Shakeup: Why Pick Page?
Regarding Gabrielle
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on track to move to rehab facility in Houston, goes outside for first time
