Bill de Blasio sold out already ?

A new blog has been launched, to examine possible corrupt ties between the Democratic Party mayoral primary frontrunner and real estate lobbyists :

Has Bill de Blasio already sold out ?

Rudin Luxury Condo Lobbying Expenses

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Bill Rudin and the Rudin Family stand to make hundreds of millions of dollars from the Luxury Condo Conversion of St. Vincent's Hospital, so much so, that spending $500,000 in lobbying alone is no big whoop.

Rudin Management Company, Inc., has declared $576,921 in lobbying expenses to New York City under the "Pay-to-Play" campaign finance reform regulations.

Over the course of the last 4 years, Rudin Management has paid at least $371,246 in declared lobbying expenses to the real estate lawyers and other lobbyists at the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP. The Fried Frank real estate lobbyist that was most visible during the Community Board 2 hearings was Melanie Meyers. (Fried Frank is the old law firm, where Sarge Shriver once worked as a name partner ; Fried Frank is now disparaging Mr. Shriver's activist commitment to healthcare under President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty.")

Another $205,675 was paid by Rudin Management to the James F. Capalino & Associaties, Inc., lobbying firm. Interestingly, over 75% of the staggering amount paid to Capalino & Associates was for lobbying that targeted Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. On November 25, 2011, President Stringer issued a recommendation in favour of the Rudin Luxury Condo Conversion of St. Vincent's Hospital.

A .pdf report of the Rudin Management Company, Inc., lobbying expenses is available on Scribd :

Bill Rudin - Rudin Family Lobbyists - St Vincents Hospital - NYC Search Results

(All the money that Rudin Management has spent on lobbying does not include what amounts are undeclared lobbying expenses, or how much North Shore-LIJ and Lenox Hill Hospital have spent on lobbying, public relations, or advertising campaigns, to install a first aid clinic in the O'Toole Building.)