Angel's Veto Power
April 5, 2002

By Henry J. Stern

    The bribery charge against Brooklyn Councilman Angel Rodriguez continues to attract attention as it wends its way through the judicial system.

    The Councilman was arrested several weeks ago for demanding $50,000 in cash and the transfer of real estate for less than half its actual value in order to approve a Fairway supermarket in Red Hook.  The trial, in Federal court, will presumably be held in the fall.  Meanwhile, Rodriguez retains his Council seat and his $90,000 salary, although he has lost his committee assignments.

    The Feds have many audio tapes, wiretapped conversations and surveillance videos, and the investigation took almost a year.  The prosecutors say that Rodriguez was aware of the surveillance, making calls from pay phones and making U-turns.  This was reported in Friday’s Newsday.

    An important issue that arises is whether, and if so why, a single Councilmember can prevent a project from going forward simply because it is in his or district.  The same question was raised in the Council’s rejection of a land use matter in Councilmember Yvette Clarke’s Brooklyn district, although there may have been a legitimate reason for that decision.

     Land use decisions should not be made on the basis of  ‘Councilmanic courtesy’.  That is equivalent to the old practice of  ‘Senatorial courtesy,” under which a Presidential nominee would be denied confirmation if a home state Senator found the appointee personally obnoxious.

     An editorial on the subject appeared in The Chief-Leader, a weekly normally devoted to civil service issues.   If you want to read it, you can do so by clicking No Room for Deference.
 
 

Henry J. Stern is the director of NYCivic.