NYC Dept of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn and Mayor Bloomberg have the power to end political control of the Board of Election that has been in effect since Tammany Hall ruled the city. All they have to do is reverse there containment police and turn a few corrupt board workers to rat. They have two investigation and a special election recount that can blow the BOE apart. The first case became public yesterday when the NYC Board of Elections suspended an employee who’s also a top Queens GOP official, Stephen Graves, after he was caught on tape soliciting a “finder’s fee” from a voting machine contractor in exchange for recommending a particular lobbyist. There is even questions about his education background to qualify for his HAVA job at the BOE.
Pinky Dennis Gallagher is a Lobbyist Do You Think He Knows GOP's Graves . . .
All DOI has to do is expose who was the lobbyist who Graves want to receive the $1.250,000. The chances are that lobbyist is a BOE lobbyist insider or Queens GOP operator who know where the commissioner who run the board bodies are buried. Note the sting tapes on Graves were made by the BOE vender not DOI. The second case involves the former head of the BOE Gonzalez who left the board right after a scandal of ballot fixing was disclosed in a Queens special election. DOI said over a year ago that it was investigating what happen. That investigation could be revived to force Gonzalez to rat on his former board members. It is interesting to not that Gonzalez lawyer Stanley Schlein is also the registered lobbyist for the same company that Graves tried to shake down, Dominion Voting Systems.
An opportunity seems to be coming to build public support for BOE reform. The possible hand count recount in the special election to replace corrupt Carl Kruger. If the Fidler or Storobin victory margin is under 110 the BOE must recount every ballot by hand. It has never been done with the new voting system and all Board observers believe that the BOE cannot accomplish that task and get ready for the presidential primary on April 24th and the congressional primaries on June 26th.
The Media Has the Power to Change the BOE All They Need to Do is Demand DOI do Its Job
WNYC Radio and Others Reported He Was Fired And DOI Was Investigating Him on Oct 26, 2010
Head of Board of Elections Fired One Week Before Election (WNYC) Sources at the Board of Elections say Gonzalez was fired over irregularities that initially appeared on the ballot of a special election in Queens for the City Council seat in the 28th district. His lawyer is Stanley Schlein who runs the Bronx county and helped Bronx DA Johnson win and residency case against him the first time he ran for district attorney. Schlein is also represented the losing bidder for new voting machines that the BOE brought last year and is now being investigated by the feds.
The ballot in question had all of the candidates lined up one slot to the right of where they should have appeared. For example, the name of the first candidate on the ballot slot, Democrat Reuben Wills, was listed under the slate of Republican candidates. However, the ballot that voters will receive on November 2 has been corrected. The issue is still under investigation by the New York Department of Investigations. Tammany Hall Board of Election Control Goes On and On (True News)
The Gonzalez Schlein ConnectionIn October, 2010, the Board of Elections booted executive director George Gonzalez after revelations that he had incorrectly placed Wills on the Republican ballot line beneath GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino, rather than beneath Democrat Andrew Cuomo, among other mistakes. The error would likely have cost Wills votes in the heavily Democratic district, but ballots were eventually fixed. A number of people close to the situation suspected the ballot placement was politically motivated, given Gonzalez’s close connections with election lawyer Stanley Schlein, who was serving as the attorney for Nicole Paultre-Bell, Wills’ chief rival in the Council race. The Department of Investigation launched an investigation, but the outcome is unknown. (C&S) The architect of Gonzalez's promotion was Schlein, a charming and perennially troubled lawyer who has been helping make the big decisions for the Bronx Democratic Party for decades. The general consensus was that Schlein wanted George in the job for a simple reason: He did what Stanley asked him to do.
Is the Mayor Protecting Gonzalez
One of the most important favors performed by Gonzalez for Schlein and others was to feed them early election returns. In a politically astute move, Gonzalez made sure that his friends at City Hall got the numbers first. Even a top Republican with longtime dealings with the board confirms it: "Gonzalez was the inside guy," he says. "He was always protected. He was the mole for the mayor. Whenever I got returns I'd say, 'Where'd you get this?' The answer was always 'Gonzalez.'" When it came time for the board to choose the deputy director in late January 2003, top Bloomberg aide Vincent LaPadula worked the phones on his behalf from City Hall, calling all the Democratic county leaders to push them to support Gonzalez. When the $172,000 executive director job became available again in 2010, Gonzalez slid right in. He did so with the backing of current Bronx Democratic leader Carl Heastie, who, in his organization's great tradition, is taking his political advice from Schlein.
Election Board's "Bungle George" Gonzalez Was Mayor Bloomberg's Baby(Village Voice)
Election Board's "Bungle George" Gonzalez Was Mayor Bloomberg's Baby(Village Voice)
Liu all but double-dog-dared the feds to indict
Godspeed, Preet Bharara(NYP Ed) “Prove something,” Liu demanded— directing his challenge in no uncertain terms at US Attorney Preet Bharara, who has already arrested Liu’s former campaign treasurer on obstruction of justice and wire-fraud charges. NYP saysU.S. Attorney Preet Bharara should heed City Comptroller John Liu’s challenge to “prove something” about Liu’s questionable fundraising before next year’s elections,
Espada is All About the Family
Pedro & kin dined well on your dime: feds(NYP) Bronx political powerhouse Pedro Espada Jr. ate like a pig and stuck his publicly funded nonprofit with the big bills, federal prosecutors claimed yesterday while unloading a blizzard of restaurant receipts to detail the former state senator’s largess at the taxpayers’ expense. * Pedro Espada Jr. appointee was member of The Crystals(NYDN) * Pedro Espada appointed a woman to the Soundview board because she was a singer he liked. (DN)
NYT Even Has Columnist Jim Dwyer Carry Water For Their Mayoral Choice
NYC's Media Controlled By Campaign Flacks
Titanic Ties in the Race for Mayor(NYT)By JIM DWYER A grandmother of Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker and a presumptive mayoral candidate, survived the Titanic to immigrate to America. More fluff news from Quinn's campaign
More Quinn Flack Spin to A Willing Media
Whopper of a bad idea: pols (NYDN) * Quinn doesn’t want Burger King handing out free food. (DN) * Christine Quinn Doesn't Want Your Whoppers, Thank You Very Much
Ailing Back Forces Congressman Rangel To Miss 103 House Votes(NY1) * Congressman Towns “I’m just kind of shying away from the campaign, and focusing on my government responsibilities.”(C&S) *Hakeem Jeffries Leaves Door Open For Third Party Run(NYO) * UFT President Mike Mulgrew suggested NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn re-think her relationship with SKDKnickerbocker, because it’s representing a NYStudentsFirst, a new organization close to Bloomberg and at odds with the teachers union.
ScarJo Hosts Third Bash For Mayoral Candidate(Huff Post) * ABC’s new show, “Scandal,” is based on crisis consultant Judy Smith, whose advice made former Gov. David Paterson a “laughingstock,” according to one former aide.* The Barack Obama Democratic Club, co-founded by District Leader Mark Levine, backed Levine’s old rival, Sen. Adriano Espaillat, against Rep. Charlie Rangel.* The DNC’s Jewish outreach director had to apologize after calling her and her friends “Jewbags” on Facebook. * New York 2013: A mayoral election about education policy? (Capital) * The Rangel Rollout: Aide Says Charlie’s Return Planned For Tuesday(NYO) * Sean Maloney Hires Knickerbocker; Lancman Snatches Up Sheinkopf(NYO) * Conspiracy Theory About Velazquez Race Turns Out To Be True (C&S) * Clyde Williams misfired a bit with one of his attacks on Charlie Rangel.* * Bill Thompson’s tweets refer to him as “Declared NYC mayoral candidate Bill Thompson.”
Walcott Falls Back in Line
A day after straying from City Hall’s policy backing the full disclosure of teacher ratings to the public, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott boogied right back into the company line yesterday
Ed. chief dances to new tune(NYP) Walcott backs off ‘hiding’ teacher ratings * One Year Into The Job, Schools Chancellor Walcott Defends His Controversial Policies (NY1) * At One-Year Mark, Walcott Sees Improvement in Education(NYT) * NYC Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott admitted he made an “unforced error” when he said he was “supportive” of talks n Albany to limit teacher evaluation data to parents and not the public at large.* The number of working teachers in New York State dropped.
Still Can't Fire Abusive Teachers
Found to Have Misbehaved With Pupils, but Still Teaching(NYT) * Sixteen teachers singled out for pervy conduct get to keep their jobs in New York City schools(NYDN) Lewd comments, kissing, thrusting and personal calls were not enough to get them fired Fourteen of 16 teachers the New York City Education Department wanted to fire for inappropriate behavior in recent years are still on the job thanks to arbitrators reducing their penalties.The 16 New York City teachers accused of lewd and inappropriate behavior with students, but kept on the job thanks to arbitrators, should be removed from the schools* They must go(NYDN Ed) Daily News editorial: "How can United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew sleep at night? * @MikeBloomberg on teacher arbitration process: "Maybe if you were a serial axe murderer, you (WCBS)_
The Media Should Be Asking the 2013 Mayoral Candidates What It Takes to Fire A Teacher
Mayor Bloomberg Muses on What It Takes for A Bad Teacher to Be Fired(NYO) * Bloomberg blasts city arbitration system for booting bad teachers(NYP)
Roosevelt Islanders Discuss Planned Local Tech Center With Cornell Officials(NY1)
5
5
7
7
7
7
Keeping the Public Uninformed While Racking In the Millions
This Is What WCBS (2) Calls Informing the Public (The same headline news is repeated every half hour from 4:30AM to 7:00 AM by clueless newsreaders):
6:00AM Weather, 6:02 Traffic, 6:04 News Hit and Run driver suspect in SI surrenders, 6.05 News Police need help in finding a groper in Queens, 6:06 News Remains of some animals found along side the Hutchinson River Pkwy, 6:06 News Parent sue police for failure to administer CPR, 6:07 News Republican Primary, 6:08 News Good Friday at St Patrick, 6:10 News Passover, 6:10 Weather, 6:11 Traffic, 6:12 Commercials, 6:14 News Complaints about the odor from a mulch plant in Huntington, 6:15 News Birds nest on a traffic light camera>Camera crew and interviews., 6:17 Weather, 6:19 Traffic, 6:20 Commercials, 6:23 Sports, 6:26 Traffic, 6:27 Commercials *** Local News Dumb Down Journalism (True News)
Bloomberg Agrees No Serious News
Michael Howard Saul @MichaelHwrdSaul (Twitter) Mayor Bloomberg: You can't find out what's going on by reading the newspaper. Not enough serious news, he says.
Shocking No Fix More Tixs 55% Increase
That’s a fix – traffic convictions soar In the wake of an NYPD ticket-fixing scandal in the Bronx, Internal Affairs officers have been monitoring traffic court proceedings and convictions are on the rise.More Cops Showing up in Court.
Report: NYPD Keeping Track Of Bicycle-Involved Crashes(NY1)
The Beacon after-school programs–formed in the wake of the Crown Heights riots–face drastic cuts thanks to budget woes.
The $21 million sidewalk: Putting a price tag on privately owned public spaces(NY World)
Duties of the Expanded in Powers CCRB Unclear
Police Board's New Powers Are Unclear(WSJ) It’s unclear if the Civilian Complaint Review Board’s new oversight means NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly has to publicly explain decisions not to follow the board’s disciplinary recommendations
Collapsed crane’s cables went unchecked in January inspection(NYP) * City Officials Cite Defects in Hoisting System of Crane That Collapsed, Killing a Worker(NYT) * Defects' Seen in Fatal Crane(WSJ) * Deadly crane’s OK from Buildings Department a mystery(NYDN)