Speaker Quinn Chided
By Councilmembers
For Leading Sheep
To the Slaughter
By Henry J. Stern
April 18, 2008
Tuesday, April 15 (Tax Day) We sent you an article about certain problems facing the City Council and its speaker in a 1398-word article headlined FICTIONAL CITY BUDGET ENTRIES EMBARRASS SPEAKER QUINN, SHE AGREES TO FULL DISCLOSURE BUT MEMBERS PROTEST CHANGES.
We mentioned that it was Day 13 since the possible scandal became public via an intentional leak to Frankie Edozion of the Post, whch broke the story in block type on page one under the headline; CITY HAUL: Quinn Crew Probed Over Hidden $$$. The affair has not yet received a place in the Gate series, which began in 1973 with Watergate, and has continued through Albany's Troopergate in 2007. That was meant to be Choppergate, dealing with Senator Bruno's alleged misuse of state aircraft, but it morphed into Troopergate, dealing with Governor Spitzer's alleged misuse of the State Police to do in the Senator. DIGRESSION: We know the break-in took place on the night of June 17, 1972 at the Watergate Hotel, but they didn't call it Watergate until later. Here is the first report of the burglary from the Washington Post, at a time when no one was aware of what its consequences would turn out to be.
The New York City tabloids, however, are not to be outdone, the Post ran SKIM CITY on page one, while the News used SLUSH PUPPIES on page one the same day. Each paper devoted two inside pages to the scandal on April 17.
Wednesday, April 16 - U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia announced the indictment of two Council staffers for embezzlement. They worked for a Brooklyn member, Kendall Stewart, who is a podiatrist and a landlord. The aides, including former chief of staff Asquith Reid, allegedly stole $145,000 and spent $21,000 on Stewart's political needs, so the Councilman's denial of any knowledge of the crime rings exceedingly hollow. We assume from the threatened 80- year sentence for the 64-year-old former chief of staff that the intention of the authorities is to loosen his tongue with regard to his former employer.
Thursday, April 17- The indictment was amply covered, on pages 1, 4 and 5 in the News, an editorial on p38, ITEMIZED THEFT, and columns by Michael Daly, Michael Goodwin and Errol Louis. The story made 1, 6 and 7 in the Post, plus an editorial, SLUSH FUND SHENANIGANS, on 28. It was on 1 and 4 in the Sun, and the top of B1 in the 2 COUNCIL AIDES ACCUSED OF EMBEZZLING FUNDS FROM NONPROFIT AGENCY.
Friday, April 18 - The most important development reported today was Speaker Christine Quinn making the rounds of Council offices expressing regret for what she had tried to do in giving up their rights to the Mayor. See "QUINN OFFERS APOLOGIES TO COUNCIL, RETHINKING HER PLAN TO REFORM SPENDING." Two related stories appeared in today's Sun: "ALBANY'S MENU IS ALSO RIPE WITH PORK," and "SCANDAL THREATENS PROSPECTS OF CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS." Pages eight and nine of the News were devoted to the scandal today. The main story's headline is: "MURKY MONEY MESS." Not even the Pope's visit has driven this story out of the newspapers. It will, however, run its course unless something either happens or is discovered.
The result of this uproar is that Christine Quinn will have an enormous handicap if she pursues her projected mayoral candidacy. If she cannot oversee a $55 million Council budget, people will say, how can she handle the $61 billion that New York City spends annually. She could have a shot at Manhattan Borough President IF Scott Stringer runs for Public Advocate and there are eight other candidates in the race, as there were in 2005, provided that she has not committed any wrongdoing such as perjury or obstruction of justice.
The problem with these investigations is that even if you did not steal one cent, if you answered questions differently at different times, or failed to report what you knew to the authorities, you may be pursued for perjury or obstruction of justice. It is hard to remember exactly what one said months ago, especially if you can no longer rely on staff to corroborate your recollection, whatever it is.
Two things the Speaker is reported to have said may require, as Senator Clinton said of General Petraeus the first time around, "a willing suspension of disbelief". The line, as we told you once, originated with Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1798.
The first doubtful claim is that she ordered the practice of using fictitious names stopped as soon as she learned of it, but that her aides failed to follow her instructions. The second is that she was the person who brought the matter to the attention of the US Attorney and the New York City Department of Investigation.
Others say that the investigation was already well underway when she called the cops.. She has now wisely decided not to answer press questions and to leave the talking to her attorney, W. Lee Richards, Jr. Although silence or pleading ignorance does not come off well to the media, it may save her considerable grief.
A collateral question is her using city funds to pay Richards as her personal attorney.
If she were pursued for say, assault, she would have no right to a city lawyer. If she were sued for something she did on the job in good faith, she would have a right to be represented by the Corporation Counsel or a lawyer she hired, even if her decision was mistaken. First the press and public would like to know how much the lawyer is being paid. The City Council, as a public agency of elected officials, is entitled to hire counsel, especially when the issue at stake involves their prerogatives.
This is all sad because Speaker Quinn is widely and fairly regarded as a capable public servant. She began as an aide to Councilman Tom Duane and worked her way up to the second most important position in city government. She has been a responsible Council Speaker on almost every issue, and on the others she had to yield to the mob
After paying her dues to the county leaders of Bronx and Queens who made her the speaker, as they made her predecessor, Gifford Miller, the speaker in 2002, Quinn's appointments were usually based on merit. She did not say foolish things or give the impression of being an airhead or a flippertygibbet. She proved, if in any way it needed to be proven, that a person who was open about her sexual orientation could do a fine job in a high public office and win general respect.
The City Council is the successor to the old Board of Aldermen (a name both sexist and ageist ). We checked the spelling, agist also appears, (but its meaning is not as clear as when the 'e' is used.) The Board of Aldermen was known informally as the "Forty Thieves", a literary reference to the number of members, as well as to their integrity. The other story told about the Board is that someone came to the door of the City Hall chamber where they met and shouted, "Alderman, your saloon's on fire." The chamber immediately emptied.
When I began as a Councilman in January 1974, we received an allotment for staff of $7500. The basic allotment for each Councilmember is now about $350,000, about 43 times what it was 34 years ago. Councilmember's salaries have risen from $20,000 to $112,500 plus lulus, which means they have almost sextupled. There is no requirement for full time service, and no limitation on outside income, earned or unearned.
The amount of discretionary spending, which is money that members can appropriate to outside organizations, sometimes called "earmarks", varies from member to member. Like committee chairs, the amount of funds each member can allocate is determined in part by considering three basic principles: seniority, geography and loyalty.
The same conditions obtain to an even greater degree in the New York State legislature. There is a sharp divide in funding based on whether the member is part of the majority in each house. In the City Council, all but three members out of 51 are Democrats. One of the three Republicans resigned, effective today, as part of an agreement with the Queens County District Attorney to close out a criminal case in which he was prosecuted for sexual contact, allegedly involuntary, with a woman he had met in a bar and taken to his Council office.
In the difficult circumstance of managing a body of members with diverse ambitions, some conflicting with each other, we observe that Ms. Quinn has provided sound leadership. The inmates have not taken over the asylum. Her staff varies in talent, considering that after eight phone calls, no one could tell us their budget for 2007-08. But neither could another city agency.We finally got the data from the Citizens Budget Commission.
The great majority of Councilmembers are honest and decent, although many are ambitious, partisan, self-absorbed and unduly frightened by noisy constituents. They have different gifts and deficits, as we all do. They are 51 men and women, chosen by diffferent neighborhoods. Unfortunately, some are not immune to the charms of avarice, and their depredations and those of their staffs have embarrassed their colleagues and their leader, as everyone now realizes.
We await the next disclosures in this unfolding drama. In politics, people are first exalted and then, as circumstances change, they are derided. You do find out who your friends are, but you pay a heavy price for this knowledge. On the other hand, if you had not come to grief, these people would still be your friends, basking in your radiance...
Fortunately, there are other New Yorkers who will join the competition for 2009. Congressman Weiner and Comptroller Thompson are first out of the gate, but the lure of high office will draw other contenders. There are 18 and 1/2 months until the finish line is reached. If the Speaker recovers from her present travails, she could be a contender. But on the basis of this week's editorials and columns, a decent interval will have to transpire before she can be regarded seriously as a candidate for elevation. Her rivals may have problems with intellect and character, but they have not been so vividly displayed to the public.
We close with what may be developing as the theme of many of these articles, an oft-repeated sentiment that should be taken to heart by politicians everywhere who face adversity of one sort or another.:
In the words of Hyman Roth, a character in a film directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, in a role which was played by Lee Strasberg, and whose words and actions were based on the life of Meyer Lansky:
"This is the business we have chosen."
There is another maxim, however, that applies to decent politics and an honest life, which should be obeyed by men and women of character:
It is the Eighth Commandment, "Thou shalt not steal."
Another that has particular relevance to politics is the Ninth Commandment,
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."
There are, as you know, eight other commandments, but we have selected these two as having particular relevance to our line of work. The others are of more general application, but merit your obeisance.
#465 4.18.2008 #1896wds |