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Christine Quinn Must GoAs Christine Quinn continues to play coy about endorsing the Democratic candidate for Mayor, one thing has become crystal clear, the Council must not elect her to another term as Speaker. One must remember that the election of the Speaker of the Council is purely political. She is elected by the party that holds the majority of members in the legislature. Given that we have had a Republican Mayor for the past sixteen years, the Speaker is the City's titular head of the party she represents. It is, therefore, even more appalling that she has failed to endorse the candidate of the party of which she is supposed to be leading. It is easy to recognize the reasons that she has stayed silent in this race. After all, she has been a kept woman for so many years. The billionaire Mayor has taken care of all of her needs, political and otherwise. He agreed to overturn term limits, serving not only his political ambitions but those of Quinn as well. They were quite a duo in this little game which deprived the voters of New York City the mandate they so overwhelmingly supported two times. Mike provided Chris cover in the slush fund scandal, perhaps one of the highest money scandals the City has witnessed since the days of Donald Manes and Stanley Friedman. True to her desire to be Queen, Chris just doled out money that had not gone through any appropriation or selection process. We all know that Mike had his own slush fund, personal and public, but his Office of Management and Budget was able to keep the lid on all of the shenanigans in order to provide Quinn the cover she so desperately needed. Just today David Seifman wrote an article in the New York Post about the City's purchase of expensive hybrid SUV's which were doled out to Deputy Mayors and Commissioners as opposed to the lower staff who would have truly given them a test run. When Quinn's spokesperson was questioned about this new car, the answer was classic. We just took what the Mayor gave us to replace the broken down old car that the Speaker had been driving around. Well, we know that no one in the Mayor's Office is going to refute that response. Speaker Quinn's performance has been lackluster at best. She speaks a good line but fails to take responsibility for hers or the Council's actions. She's been around long enough to know that a slush fund is a slush fund is a slush fund and a new car that is purchased without bidding is going to be more expensive. As the great Alfred E. Newman would say, "What Me Worry." After all when you are protected by the Mayor, your days can be carefree. Lew from Brooklyn, we are counting on you to lead the revolt. It is time for Chris to be put out to pasture. Of course, her pasture will likely be just another office on the other side of City Hall. Oh the advantages of being taken care of by the Mayor. QUINN
Sorry but I don't see this happening. Too many of those in the Council who begged for another 4 years because they didn't want to give us their "jobs" will remain on the Council and this was part of Quinn's slush.
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First, I want to be clear that I am quite certain that Christine Quinn will make her support for Bill Thompson for Mayor public at the time and place that the Thompson campaign believes to be most advantageous to the campaign. Quite certain of it. No one is supporting Bill Thompson more than I except for Bill and Eddie. But this can't be the only litmus test for a position that is clearly the second most powerful in our City. Shocking as this may be to blogland, Christine Quinn has been a good Speaker. I believe that though I have been a member of her leadership team, I have been "allowed" to be an independent voice and have an independent voting record. I say "allowed" because in years gone by in a less democratized body, someone in my position would not have been able to maintain his position after vocally opposing Congestion Pricing, voting against the last property tax increase, speaking out loudly on a myriad of other issues on which the Speaker and I were not at least initially on the same page. Chris has struck a measured role in a job that makes nobody happy. I have read criticism of her as being "too pro-tenant" and on the next day that she is "in the pocket of the real estate industry." Her job calls for compromise and consensus, and she does a good job of doing that without being overly heavy handed. Of course, there are things that she and I disagree on....I mentioned a few just above. I do wish we would steer a bit clearer a path of the Mayor. I hope and pray that that will no longer be such an issue on November 4th. But even if it is, she is my Speaker, Bklyn pol, and I support her. When John Lindsay ran for re-election as Mayor of NYC in 1969, his campaign slogan sort of acknowledged the many mistakes of his first term, to wit, "It's the second hardest job in America." Well, being Speaker is the second hardest job in New York City, something that you, Bklynpol, should know. She has weathered her storm, and I expect great things working with her over the next four years.
Now, let the Lew from Brooklyn bashing begin. LOL
Lew from Brooklyn She delivered (or will soon have delivered) a job in perpetuity for most of her members, and got Bloomberg to take the blame. Perhaps she will show a little honesty and "extend" terms to ten the day after the election, while eliminating campaign matching funds for challengers, right after the election. Rather than waiting.
Sorry Lew, but where was Quinn on Sept 16th which was the day after the Primary? She should have endorsed Thompson at that time. Her now lukewarm endorsement (wink, wink, nod, nod) does nothing for me and others who feel that she should be replaced as Council Speaker. Also, reading about other Dems endorsing Bloomberg disgusts me. My own Congressman, Mike McMahon, who got a pass on the Council vote to extend term limits because he was running for Congress and many voters in his district were angry at what Bloomberg and the City Council did to overturn term limits is supporting Bloomberg. Add to that Markowitz, Recchia (my Councilman) and other Dems who have crossed party lines to endorse Bloomberg and I can tell you I'm disgusted with this crew and none of them will EVER see my vote for this or any election. You're a Dem, you ENDORSE the Dem you endorse the party candidate and you don't wait until a week before the election to do that. Quinn needs to be replaced but unfortunately like I previously stated she won't.
I am sorry to learn of your support for Christine Quinn, Lew. I find it unfortunate. Just because a Speaker allows a member of the leadership team to speak out at times against a Mayor's proposal, in my mind, does not make her an effective Speaker. I was hoping there would be diverse support for a new candidate for the Speakership, diverse in ethnicity and county origin. I'm sorry to see that you will not fulfill that role. It's Quinn's lackluster leadership that has allowed the Recchia's and Nelson's of the world to go their own ways politically and support this meglomaniacal, law breaking Mayor. Such is life. I only hope that your colleagues will understand that Quinn's frantic support a week before the election is "too little too late," as they say, and make her just another member of the lackluster legislature. We have cowards like you in office Lew! You're not even an undercover brother like Obama. You enjoy your position on the plantation... 1998 Question: Has anyone taken any campaign contributions from developers, landlords or real estate organizations)? Would you do so in the future? Quinn: No I haven't and no, I won't. Quinn raised over $2.5 million, much of it from real estate sources, despite her promise to never take landlord/developer money. $7,500 from Extell with ties to Saudi right-wing Carlyle Group $91,850 bundled from Daryl Roth, wife of Vornado Realty Trust CEO Steve Roth $34,650 from David & Jed Walentas, developers. Quinn pushed through their Brooklyn Dock Street project over local objections $14,650 from Veronica Hackett, Clarett Group developers $13,625 bundled from Francis Greenburger, chairman of Time Equities $32,750 from Caryn Eyring, Taconic Investment Partners, large land-owner near Coney Island $19,800 from Alvin Benjamin, real estate developer who allegedly committed fraud against Medicaid Landlords & Developers Dump Dollars on Quinn Related Co. (developer) $60,000 to Quinn & Weiner William Rudin (developer) approx $30,000 to Quinn $27,595 from Jay Kriegel (bundler), Olympic flim-flam man and alleged Serpico perjurer $24,750 from Dermot Co. for 800 luxury apartments in the Hudson Yards district $239,395 from Real Estate bundlers 2005 Campaign Finance filings (selected) $850 Robert Bookman, noisy bars and nightclubs $6500 Greenberg Traurig PAC, developer lobbyists $500 Donald Halperin, landlord lobbyist $9250 Wachtel & Masyr LLP, law firm for developerSteve Ross, close friend of Dan Doctoroff 2003 Campaign Finance filings (selected) $1000 Biltmore Tower, LLC• $1000 Building & Construction Trades (for approving Hudson Yards skyscrapers) $250 Donald Cappoccia (developer, friend of Rudy) $500 Kathleen Cudahay (real estate lobbyist) $250 Constantinople & Vallone (Peter Vallone, champion for landlords) $250 Brad Hoylman (NYC Partnership, developers' trade club) $500 Walter McCaffrey (real estate lobbyist) $2000 Martin McLaughlin (Biltmore Tower lobbyist) $500 Fred Ohrenstein (now a real estate lobbyist) $500 Pesetsky & Bookman (noisy nightclubs) $1000 Andrew Rasiej (nightclub promoter) $100 Adam Rose (Rose family developers) $250 Jay Segal (developer attorney at Greenberg Trausig) Remember the old adage: You can't beat a somebody with a nobody. Which Councilperson can get 26 votes and beat her, hmmmm? Dan Garodnick might, but he'd never run against his Manhattan compadre--would he? Post new comment |
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