New York, NY – The slush fund scandals at City Hall are getting slushier. Now the mayor and his staff are having memory problems while trying to figure out exactly who requested some money from a so-called discretionary fund.
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Before, it was City Council that was in slush up to its ears. One councilman, Miguel Martinez, admitted misuse of public funds involving non-profit groups he supported. [Bloomberg said he was ”outraged” by this alleged plundering of taxpayer dollars].
Two former aides to another councilman pleaded guilty to stealing more than $145,000 in so-called member-item money [that’s City Hall lingo for the pork available in the Council’s prodigious slush fund].
Now, the mayor has some explaining to do — and he’s trying. Seems that some of his aides steered about 3 million dollars in city money to two politically connected groups, in violation of the rules.
The Times reports that, over the years, the Mayor’s office gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to Agudath Israel of America Community Services and Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services. The money came from an obscure fund that the mayor can spend as he likes. But, to shell out the money, under the law, the mayor’s office needs a request from a councilman or a borough president.
And there’s the rub — the mayor’s office says Councilman Simcha Felder asked for the money. But Felder says he didn’t. A mayoral spokesman insists he did.
At a news conference, Bloomberg explained: ”People disagree on what they remember.” He said Felder’s recollection was wrong.
The mayor asserted: ”I really asked a thousand times of my staff, and we remember it one way. It’s one of these things that was never documented but, when I talk to my staff it makes sense that they’re right. They wouldn’t have any reason to not, and there was lots of history before and afterward that would suggest that, as you know, maybe it’s just bad memory.
“When you get to be my age, I’m telling you, you get to forget some things, too.”
Maybe the Mayor and his staff need to take a memory course — and learn to write things down, especially when it involves the people’s money. The philosopher Nietzsche said: ”One must have a good memory to be able to keep the promises one makes.”
Advice that any good politician should heed.
Hopefully, Bloomberg will be able to reconcile the history of these grants. Having Felder and the other recipients of these funds be indicted and go to jail for bribery, theft of public funds or some other crimes will only worsen the recent events in New Jersey.
The real question is why is Felder stabbing the mayor in the back? Would it be so hard for him to say he requested it?
Ben Brafman said it correctly when he said lying when you think it is not even a lie will come back to haunt you.
When Simcah Felder was asked by the reporter about this the reason why Simcha was not straight forward was he thought the fact that a reporter was asking that there was something going on and instead of him pleading the fith , or saying I will get back to you, or just saying I have no idea instead of saying “I never asked for anything” was real stupid.
Asking people familiar with the case, it is known that Simcah did indeed ask money for the Aguda since they lost big time money by not filing papers in a timely fashion.
Now that the Aguda screwed up and Simcah tried in good faith to help the Aguda out everyone will lose now because they made Mike Bloomberg look bad especially before elction time.
Now when we need anything thanks to the once again chilul hashem we will all stand to lose.
Like Ben Brafman said the other week, “will we ever learn from our mistakes”?
It seems not.
the real sad part of the story is that aguda and ohel have lost credibilty in our community due to their protection of pedophiles………….and then they get rewarded with cash for politcal reasons shame shame
He thinks that we all have slushy memory and at election day we will forget about his increase in re taxes, sales tax, and tickets.
No we don’t have slushy memories.
Were are all the right-wingers on VIN, why are they not condemning the mayors hand out to the Agudath Israel of America Community Services, and Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services, aren’t they always against using tax payers money for anything. I am ok with the mayor giving the money as long it is on the up, but you right-wingers are hypocrites.
I know one thing from this whole story, Felder is not lying and the Mayors staff is.
1) The Mayor has no papers to show that Felder requested the money, if they did we would all see it by now.
2) If Felder wanted to lie he would’ve said he asked for it.
3) Rabbi Zwiebel said that he never asked Felder and that he asked directly the Mayors staff.
4) What happened to Jonathon Greenspun in this whole story, he was mentioned in the Times article and no one is talking about him anymore.
5) Why did Felder go
with the Mayor upstate last week?
This whole story needs some real answers from the Mayors people more then from Felder.
Why is such a sum of money ever given out to anyone without
adequate documentation.
Stop arguing just vote out this bloomy & there will be no more to worry about!!! VOTE NO BLOOMY!!! BLOOMY GO HOME TO YOUR OLD MOTHER!!! LEAVE THE CITY ALONE…. -k-