..but no fake group collected any money, so folks should stop saying they did and outline the real issue which is surely bad enough.

And the press should stop protecting revered elder statesman and state the truth.

The culprit is Peter Vallone. Ms. Quinn is an accesory after the fact.  

She should go to jail and all the criminal Councilmembers who took her cash should go also.

Oh you say we have to find a DA to put her in jail, maybe we can find one in Albany . . . NOPE 

show me the penal code violation

I'll grant some one may have committed one, or not,

but it seems hardly likely the culprits in the Speaker's office, fiance staff and legal staff, possibly including the Speaker herself, would let the plebes in on the secret of where the money came from

surely if they had, it wouldn't have stayed a secret nearly ten years 

so, as usual, another jerky on Room 8 advocates jail for at leat some folks who've not trnagressed the penal code

Due process?

And the schmuck who said it probably think's he's a progressive   

Can the jerk who must work for the criminal Quinn just go away.

The only way she did not violate the Penal code if if the Albany DA investagets the crime.  But that is only in the first report in the second report after she resigns he will say she is guilty

FOLLOW THE MONEY JOURNALIST GET OFF YOUR DUMB ASSES

I said Quinn may be guilty of a crime--although it is still not clear which one

what I said is that the members who received items later from thse pots of money almost certainly weren't told where it came from, and how the money was stored

in fact, it defies logic to think anyone would have spolled the beans to them

read what I say, instead of engaging in your fantasies 

Councilmembers get money after the budget and they don't know where it comes from?  What is the voting on the budget all about

ARE THERE ANY ADULTS LEFT IN THE COUNCIL? 

The point here is not that she violated the penal code, but she violated the City Charter, the document she must uphold as a Councilmember.

 These organizations were created to set aside money from the budget so the Speaker can use it after the budget had passed. This money became her bargaining chips in further negotiations with councilmembers and other politicos.

 Quinn is known to be a micromanager. When she says she thought the practice had stopped, she is lying. She is known to be very hands-on and likes to be kept abreast of everything that is going on.

 Also, if she was the one who brought it to the attention of the authorities, then why did her finance directors secretly disappear a little over a month ago? She knew she was going to be caught. Who is the current finance director you ask...Jim Caras...an attorney...the Deputy General Counsel. She was trying to hide this as much as possible.

Follow the money!

It's called plausible denial. Quinn tells a top staffer she wants a reserve fund. The top staffer tells a budget person to make it happen, but doesn't say or ask how. When the scheme is discovered, Quinn denies everthing and two budget staffers are made to fall on the sword for her. Quinn says she knew there was a reserve, but not about the ficticious groups. Where did she think the money for her pet projects was coming from? The Easter Bunny? Give me a break!

You would think Quinn would learn form Spitzer at the begining blaming everything on Drop, but the arragrance of today elected official makes them think they can do anything.  And most of them do.

See what you get from hiring so many hacks from the Queens machine.

How come they controller or the city does not audit non-profits that get city money?  Or are the audits so soft to protect politicians that they do not determine even if the non profits exist.  CAN ANYONE SAY CRAIN INSPECTOR

"Councilmembers get money after the budget and they don't know where it comes from? What is the voting on the budget all about"

Yeah, schmuck, like those guys actually read the budget.  

So far, no criminality; only malfeasance. You would think that would be bad enough.

By the way, am I the only one who's noticed they've been doing this since 1998?

Will the editorial boards finally stop venerating that old gasbag Peter Vallone, Sr. ?

Are the non-profits audited?

What does the controller do?

What does the city's office of management and budget do?

Who signed the papers for these fake non profits?

Who proposed them for getting funds?

..and a couple of brain farts.

How could the Mayor's Budget pople not know? How could the  Comptroller not find out.

But, it's also clear that no money went to any fake groups; it was a parking lot to avoid accountabilty.

Your misundertamding of this seems willful. 

Not only Quinn Bloomie and Thompson need to explain, but also Miller, Vallone, Guiliani, and Hevesi.

Maybe even Kock, Dinkins, Goldin and Holtzman.

Before the blood lust gets wild, the Comptroller's office really would not know and plays no role. The budget is passed totally without the involvement of the comptroller sav for some role in revenue estimation.

When a group gets money, they come to the attention of the Comptroller only when the group attempts to leverage the money and get approval for their contract. Since the fictitious groups never did that, the issue never crossed the Comptroller's desk.

On the other hand, the Mayor's Office of Management and Budget DOES play an intricate role in the budget. On one hand, they do not vet every group that receives discretionary funding from the Council. and they do not really control it. On the other hand, they do employ people who were former Finance Division employees of the council who likely knew of the practice--perhaps supervised it.

Put it into perspective, folks.

Are you saying the Comptroller does not check to see if non profits are spending the city's money correctly?

How many of these non profits are put together by elected officials to funnel money to their friends and supporters? 

The Comptroller saw in the budget that these organization got money.  Where are the contracts?  Why did not the Comptroller pick up these fake non profits in the budget?

You saying the Comptroller cannot pick up waste and corruption in the Budget? 

How many government officials beside the mighty Quinn were involved in the coverup?

Democratic Councilman David Weprin, who is head of the council's finance committee, declined to comment.

New York City Comptroller William Thompson said the allegations raise serious concerns.

What does the Mayor's Office of Management and Budget do?

Let's be honest here. This type of insidious behavior goes right down to  the ground level , ending with  many Councilmen. For instance: Councilman Recchia's "member items" go to many who are board members of CB 13. That's how he controls his agenda in his district. If someone disagrees with the majority ( which are bought & paid for ), they won't last too long. He holds out those monies like carrot sticks. This is how he bullies the District Manager, and the Chair is just a rubber stamp for him. The NYS Attorney General or the Mayor should set up a commission to look into these abusives by Mr. Recchia. & others. It may not be illegal but it surely is immoral, and I personally think it is against the City Charter. The only Mayoral candidate with any kind of substance & who has the moral authority to clean house is Mr. Avella, but he has a high mountain to climb. Mr. Recchia is on the oppsite end of the spectrum. He & Ms. Quinn  are cut from the same cloth.

FUNNY HOW YASSKY, WEPRIN AND Carrión HAVE NOT SAID A WORD AOUT FAKE NON PROFITS IN THE CITY BUDGET

Wonder why the Citizens Budget Commission who attack Quinn yesterday for fake non profits, has never attacked member item bills.

Yes Yassky wife is the head of the commission and besides running for Comptroller he gets memer items bills from Quinn.  Did Yassky get any of the parked budget money?