Perdido 03

Perdido 03

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

De Blasio's Pay-To-Play Spreadsheet

Ken Lovett in today's Daily News:

When Mayor de Blasio began handing out prestigious appointments to obscure boards and committees in his first months in City Hall, he turned to a system of cash for cachet.

His team assembled an elite spreadsheet of major campaign donors, powerful lobbyists and celebrities as candidates for the coveted slots doled out by de Blasio.

This internal spreadsheet — obtained by the Daily News — reveals a blatant and highly choreographed effort to reward donors and New York power players with high-profile VIP appointments.

The 2014 list even goes so far as to suggest that de Blasio appoint lobbyists who were and are actively lobbying his administration on behalf of their wealthy clients.

At least 14 of the mayor’s top “bundlers” who used a legal loophole to collect big bucks far in excess of donation restrictions made the list. So did four early donors to de Blasio’s now-defunct lobbying group, the Campaign for One New York.

“Confidential notes” on the list reveal the candidate’s business ties, but do not highlight actual qualifications for specific appointments. They do, however, reference support for the mayor, sometimes in financial terms.

Candidates are described as “with us early on,” “did a lot,” “real deal” and “showed up early.” One states “decent amount,” an apparent reference to the candidate’s fund-raising for the mayor.

You know Cuomo's got a list just like this, only he's smart enough not to put it in writing so that it ends up leaked to the Daily News.

That's why the public thinks Cuomo's an ethical prince while de Blasio, well, good luck in prison, Bill.

19 comments:

  1. It takes a village.,,,

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  2. Oh, I thought it takes a pillage...

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  3. Perdi, Do you think deBlasio will actually be arrested?

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    1. Given the Agents of the City nonsense, the spreadsheet w/ how much donors gave, when they supported him and what they should get in return and steady drumbeat of leaks that demonstrates daily how transactional this administration is, I do think there's a distinct possibility he's going to follow Silver and Skelos to prison.

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  4. So what's the deal behind the renewal schools? Makes no sense and no one is applying to these schools. Why did he do this deal for hundreds of millions? Why?

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  5. Every decision made about they schools by De Blasio was made with the interests of his donors and bundlers put first; the kids in the schools were put last.

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    1. By benefiting his donors and bundlers in the case of the Renewal Schools, you mean the UFT, since they wanted this community school model. And they certainly qualify as donors, since they've been caught up in the 2014 state Senate fundraising investigation.

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  6. It's being done in every city in the US. DeBlasio is a disaster and naive, but he didn't do anything illegal.

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    1. A spreadsheet with how much donors gave, how early they supported him and what they should get in return?

      That's not naive, that's stupid. It's a literal road map to prosecutors.

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    2. I agree, but is it enough to charge him? Was any of it for personal gain, i.e. his pocket? I don't know; I wouldn't think so because he's such an idealist. He should not remain in charge of the schools, where his naivety is most egregiously on view.

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    3. Was any of it for personal gain? Sure - his own power and prestige. Same w/ Cuomo. He's handing out contracts in return for donations not so that he can buy cars, houses, cocaine, etc but to expand his power and prestige.

      Still a crime, I think.

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    4. I'm no Einstein, but power and
      prestige = money, cars, cocaine etc. (later)

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  7. Good way of explaining, and fastidious piece of writing to take facts

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  8. Major thanks for the post. Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.

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  9. Simple but very precise information... Thanks for sharing this one.

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  10. I need to thank you for this great read!! I certainly loved every bit of it.

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  11. Good day very cool blog!! Man .. Excellent .. Superb A must read article!

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