Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Will There Be An Investigation Into Christine Quinn's City Council Redistricting Scandal ?

NY1 reported that New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn was forced to respond to allegations that she is influencing the City Council redistricting process in order to help shore up support in her bid to become the city's next mayor.

The complaints came from people like Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito, whose East Harlem district was changed drastically to become a majority Bronx district. Some say a backroom deal was cut between Quinn and Bronx leader Carl Heastie, where he would get more power while Quinn gets his support for her mayoral bid. The speaker and Heastie both deny this. (NY1)

Will there be a federal investigation into influence peddling, ethics violations, or campaign corruption ?

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Is Christine Quinn Using Hurricane Sandy For A Campaign Advantage ?

@carolynryan #vitolopez #mediablackout

Cyber Monday Question : Does Christine Quinn Use NYPD To Monitor Activists ?

2012-11-26 Cyber Monday Question - Does Quinn Use NYPD to Monitor Activists

Does Quinn Use NYPD To Monitor Activists ?

NYPD continue to monitor peaceful activists in violation of the Handschu Agreement. In this latest case, NYPD officials are visiting this blog even though NYPD refuse to answer to a Freedom of Information request by the author of this blog.

Remember, this is on top of the fact that there have been allegations that Speaker Quinn has instructed the NYPD to use physical force against the author of this blog.

If Speaker Quinn can't find a way to violate due process by firing you, then she puts the NYPD on the case, to harass and cybermonitor you ?

2012 11 24 NYPD Cybermonitoring Louis Flores Handschu Agreement

Bill Thompson Fines Update

New York City Michael Bloomberg succeeds in shaking down Bill Thompson out of $600,000, creating a huge hole in Mr. Thompson's campaign finances, thus ensuring that Mayor Bloomberg will be able to appoint Speaker Christine Quinn as his successor.

Quinnipiac Poll : NYC Mayor - 11/21/12

If the election were held today, MTA boss Joe Lhota would lose to the Democratic nominee 60% to 9%, according to the Quinnipiac University poll. Another potential Republican candidate, former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, would not fare much better than Lhota, the poll found: Carrion would lose 62% to 11% if he ran on the Republican ticket.

(Source : The New York Daily News)

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Tom Allon : Mandate Foreign Language Education

The United States is falling behind in international education standards, and one area where we lack a clear advantage is in being able to communicate in languages spoken in foreign countries.

For example, in France, all students are required to pick a foreign language in 6th grade, which each student will continue to learn until 12th grade. And then, in 8th grade, students against pick a second foreign language, which the student will learn concurrently with the first, all the way until 12th grade. In France, students graduate with proficiency in speaking three languages : French, and their two elective foreign languages.

Meanwhile, in the United States, we are lucky if students graduate with fluency in just one language. Leadership provided by Tom Allon's proposal would improve our education standards, not the least of which would also foster a truly global sensibility among America's youth.

When will it be too late for Christine Quinn to block Vito Lopez ?

Christine Quinn Is Politically Married To Vito Lopez

In 2006, when she was elected to become Speaker of the New York City Council, Christine Quinn turned to help from Vito Lopez in Brooklyn, for the votes of Brooklyn councilmembers, in an effort to thwart Bill De Blasio, who (no surprise) failed in his campaign to become Speaker. Like then, Speaker Quinn is now turning to extending favours to Mr. Lopez. Only now, what is at stake is not the speakership, but the mayoralty.

Speaker Quinn needs to pump the political machine in Brooklyn for votes, because she has angered so many voters in her own City Council District over community-crushing development that is allowing New York University to overwhelm the special social fabric of Greenwich Village, that closed St. Vincent's Hospital, and that is going to destroy the character of Chelsea Market.

And, in exchange, Speaker Quinn is being suspected of delivering to Mr. Lopez a redistricted seat in Brooklyn, to give him a soft landing, once he gets kicked out of the New York State Assembly.

Friday, November 23, 2012

The Wave Far Rockaway Christine Quinn Letter To Editor

The Pork Continues To Roll

Dear Editor,

To the victor go the spoils, continues to be practiced by NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn and her predecessors for decades.

On Friday, January 21, she issued checks for 50 percent of each Councilmember’s annual awarded lulus of between $4,000 to $28,000 per year on top of a $112,000 base salary to her loyal members for chairing a Council Committee or subcommittee. The base salary plus lulu is three times what average constituents earn for a job officially classified as part time. Hardworking municipal civil servant employees and most ordinary New Yorkers would never see such treats from their employers.

Perhaps Quinn will host a ceremony when issuing the remaining 50 percent balance of lulus in July 2012 to coincide with completion of the renovated City Council chambers. Construction began in 2007 with an original cost estimate below $50 million and completion date of 2009.

Quinn continues the tradition of allocating millions of dollars in member item pork barrel projects to her Council favorites.

In 2008, the first of a series of cost overruns raised the price tag to $65 million.

The bills for both a final price tag of $123.8 million and completion date of July 2012 along with all the lulus are paid by your hard earned tax dollars.

Councilmembers have staff to also drive them around town and private parking privileges at City Hall. I wonder how many ever considered using mass transit for commuting to work like millions of their constituents do on a daily basis?

Do any Council members have a Metro Card and use it on a regular basis? Check out the City Hall parking lot when the Council is in session and see for yourself.

Quinn continues the tradition of allocating millions of dollars in member item pork barrel projects to her Council favorites.

With 9 percent of 8,000,000 New Yorkers still out of work, there are many public minded citizens besides the current 51 Council members with the knowledge and wisdom to perform their jobs at a fraction of the cost. Many would gladly serve and show up for work full time without all the perks of office for $112,000 per year minus all the traditional insiders lulus or other benefits ordinary citizens can only dream about.

LARRY PENNER

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Giuliani Endorses MTA Chairman Lhota For Mayor

On Tuesday, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said that he supports the trending idea of Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joe Lhota, a registered Republican, running for mayor in 2013. Mr. Lhota has been taking credit for all the hard work of MTA employees, who worked long and hard to return the New York City subway system back to service following the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy. Mayor Guiliani said that he thinks the idea of Mr. Lhota's candidacy would be "fantastic." (New York Magazine)

Monday, November 19, 2012

Quinn Protest at 2013 Mayoral Education Forum

2012-11-19 Protest Against Christine Quinn - 2013 Mayoral Candidates Education Forum

"City Council Speaker Christine Quinn will accept money and support from StudentsFirstNY, an education advocacy group that was criticized today for having some donors in common with Mitt Romney." (Capital New York)

Quinn and Questionable Education Contracts

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Scott Stringer Drop Out Rumours

Stringer Expected To End His Ambition for Mayor

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is expected to announce as early as next week that he will not run for New York City mayor in 2013, but instead campaign for comptroller, according to The New York Times.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg had been bullying candidates out of the race, in order to select his successor.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Adolfo Carrion Pass Fake Candidacy ?

Former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Jr., is expected to enter the race for mayor in 2013 as a candidate for the Republican nomination, The New York Times reported.

Mr. Carrión joins an close political ally of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, George McDonald, the founder and president of the Doe Fund, in trying to draw votes away from Republican candidate Tom Allon.

Mayor Bloomberg used donations to the Doe Fund to buy "astroturf" support to overturn term limits. And The New York Times reported that Mr. Carrión has been a supporter of Mayor Bloomberg.

In similar fashion, it is being said that Mayor Bloomberg may be resorting to alternative strategies to thwart the candidacies of mayoral hopefuls, who are seeking to challenge New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn for higher office. Mayor Bloomberg is trying to personally install Speaker Quinn as his chosen successor.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Hurricane Sandy Christine Quinn Hospital Evacuations

Mayor Bloomberg's $500 Million Repair Fund Will Not Fix Healthcare Inequality

NEW YORK (12-Nov-2012) -- At Mayor Michael Bloomberg's news conference today, he announced a $500 million emergency repair fund for schools and public hospitals.

But this repair fund will not fix the grossly uneven distribution of hospital beds in Manhattan. Please see the attached map used by St. Vincent's Hospital activists that demonstrates the dangerous distribution of hospital beds in Manhattan.

Watch this YouTube video that questions the impact of the Berger Commission hospital closings on our hospital systems, now that they have been damaged by Hurricane Sandy :

"Let us pray that our political leaders and public health commissioners will use this opportunity to really examine and fix the unequal provision of healthcare that Hurricane Sandy has exposed," said Louis Flores.

Can one partially-functioning hospital on back-up generators be deemed "excess capacity" ?

The nurses' union, NYSNA, reported that in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the only functioning hospital below 57th Street in Manhattan was Beth Israel Hospital, which was operating on back-up generators :

In the face of this dangerous situation, North Shore-LIJ CEO Michael Dowling said that he did not want Hurricane Sandy to be used as "justification" to restore a full-service hospital in the Lower West Side of Manhattan ?

How much more insensitive could Mr. Dowling be ? Even in the aftermath of such a devastating natural disaster, North Shore-LIJ is putting its financial interests before our public health.

Healthcare activists demand to know : Why is this acceptable ?

St. Vincent's Hospital

The taboo question that the media is too afraid to ask is : How could St. Vincent's Hospital have helped in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, if Christine Quinn had fought to keep it open ? Will we ever know the true loss to public health that we paid, and continue to pay, after Bill Rudin's luxury condo conversion plan was approved by the New York City Council.

Click here to read the mayor's repair fund news release.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Tom Allon NYC Marathon Postponement Statement

Mayoral Candidate Tom Allon Statement on the NYC Marathon

New York City 2013 mayoral candidate has just issued this statement on the controversy of using valuable city resources for the NYC Marathon in the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy :

"We're living in a highly-charged and evolving crisis and the Mayor's leadership has been sound thus far. Second guessing the Mayor's decision on the scheduling of the Marathon is an easy way for the Democratic Mayoral candidates for 2013 to get attention and score points with outraged New Yorkers. The anger that is being expressed by the elected leaders of Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens reflects the concerns and frustrations being felt for the ongoing hardships of their constituents. For them, the Marathon symbolizes misplaced priorities.

"Personally, I would have delayed the Marathon for at least a week, like the Knicks-Nets game was postponed for four days, so that we can concentrate on helping all those in need and getting our electricity and mass transit back."

Bill de Blasio Marathon Hurricane Sandy Update



Bill de Blasio · 5,281 like this
about an hour ago · 
  • We need to postpone the Marathon and keep our focus where it belongs: on public safety and vital relief operations.

    The pain and suffering still unfolding in our neighborhoods is too deep for words. I walked more streets with Councilman Oddo in Staten Island today, and listened to people who still remain without power, food and water – so near the race’s starting point. It's convinced me the needs are simply too great to divert any resources from the recovery. Lodgings reserved for marathoners must be re-allocated to utility workers.