Meet The De Blasios ; Or, Meet The Old, Inept Press ?

The Media Takes No Responsibility to Inform and No Shame For Failure to Do So ...

Now that the political realities, or impossibilities, are emerging for the expected next mayor, Bill de Blasio, the media is panicking about how little they were caught unawares of Mr. de Blasio's impending win. Like True News From Change has been pointing out, it was the media's job to vet Mr. de Blasio, and now, as the media worries about how Mr. de Blasio plans to translate his positions into actual government policy, the media forgets that it was they themselves, who gave Mr. de Blasio as pass during the primary election season.

"So which is Bill de Blasio, Sandinista or Clintonista, radical or clubhouse regular ? It’s a good question, particularly considering how vague he has been about so many things as a mayoral candidate." (Daily News Op-Ed via True News From Change)

... But Sal Albanese Calls Media Out

How the Media Lost the Race for Mayor. Bill de Blasio won the Democratic primary. Sal Albanese did not. But thanks to poor coverage of the race, the former councilman argues, New York's voters are the real losers.

No doubt, Mr. de Blasio has won the hearts of New Yorkers. If he lives up to expectations, I believe that he could make the five boroughs better for all of us. But "ifs" and "coulds" don't pick up the garbage or keep the city safe. We would be much better off if we knew what our next mayor had accomplished and really plans to do over the next four years. Unfortunately, the fourth estate has failed to provide that information.

Elections have consequences, and so does the way that we cover them. For the sake of our city's future, we must demand better. (Sal Albanese * City Limits)

Money in Politics. Despite Mr. de Blasio's claims that he was the true progressive in this year's mayoral Democratic primary, he's certainly embraced the role of money and lobbyists in electoral politics, an apparent contradiction of core progressive values. A spot financed by a pro-Bill de Blasio “super PAC” in the New York mayoral race charges that Joseph J. Lhota wants to help big corporations and developers. The campaign commercial will be broadcast in a $1 million media buy could be used by Mr. Lhota to suggest that Mr. de Blasio, who has spoken out against super PACs, is acting hypocritically by not renouncing their support. (The Ad Campaign : Group Backing de Blasio Tries to Shackle Lhota to Tea Party * The New York Times)

Money is King in NYC Mayoral Politics : Bill De Blasio Campaign Rakes in $3.7 Million http://t.co/ng3a0ddQcs

— Informed Voting (@informedvoting) October 25, 2013

All fluff and no substance. New York magazine is looking forward to the de Blasio family's holiday card. But then what ?

First look at the cover of next week's magazine: Meet the De Blasios pic.twitter.com/Si7AjnAYtg

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) October 25, 2013

Hospitals Still Face Chopping Block, Employees Keep Receiving Layoff Notices

Long Island College Hospital issued layoff notices to some 500 employees, effective Oct. 29. The majority of the workers are members of 1199 SEIU Healthcare Workers East and the New York State Nurses Association. (Brooklyn Hospital Lays Off 500 * Crain's)

Gov. Cuomo proposes to close three Brooklyn hospitals and replace them with a new hospital at an estimated cost of $1 billion. (New Brooklyn hospital proposed ; cost $1 billion ; would replace 3 existing hospitals * Crains)

Let Them Eat Cheesecake : Buying Creamy Pies While 500 LICH Employees Receive Layoff Notices

SUNY lays off 500 Long Island College Hospital employees @DownstateLICH @SUNY http://t.co/IVT23sLzn3 @deBlasioNYC @JoeLhota4Mayor

— StopNYMRT (@StopNYMRT) October 26, 2013

St. Vincent's Hospital. Healthcare activists are trying to pressure NBC 4, the host of the next mayoral debate, to ask hospital-related questions of the mayoral candidates. What do the candidates plan to do to save all of New York City's community hospitals ? Do the candidates have plans to replace the full-service hospitals that were closed under the Bloomberg-Quinn administration ?

More corruption arrests tied to Christine Quinn slush fund

Head of Huntley-linked charity surrenders in 88G ‘scam’ : "Van Holmes, president of the Young Leaders Institute in Laurelton, was arrested as he walked up Austin Street towards the 112th Precinct in Queens at 5:50 a.m.," Sally Goldenberg of The New York Post reported this morning. "Charges by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman are expected to include grand larceny, forgery and falsifying business records. He faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty, sources said. Holmes allegedly stole money directly from his nonprofit — funds that were allocated by Huntley and City Council members." Christine Quinn continues to insist that her slush fund is being used for community empowerment, but every time that City Council discretionary funds make the news, those funds are tied to corruption arrests. Meanwhile, there are very worthy community groups that go unfunded. If we want to empower the community through discretionary funds, then the allocation of those funds should be determined by the community, and not by corrupt politicians.

We already know from press reports that Christine Quinn funnels discretionary funds to nonprofit groups, who then bundle contributions to her mayoral campaign. How much longer can Quinn keep up these shady acts before prosecutors catch up with her ?

Christine Quinn's ongoing slush fund scandal

Letter in Saturday's Daily News : "Par for Quinn’s course"

Manhattan: It should surprise no one that Christine Quinn has rewarded groups that donated generously to her campaign with large amounts of taxpayer money (“City Council Speaker Christine Quinn awards hundreds of thousands of dollars to nonprofit groups that have helped her mayoral campaign,” NYDailyNews.com, July 3). This is how Quinn has done business for years, consistently making deals favoring the wealthiest New Yorkers (i.e real estate developers) at the expense of the low- and middle-class New Yorkers she claims to fight for. Mickey Kramer

Six More Years Of Christine Quinn's Slush Fund Scandal

Christine Quinn and Her On-Going Slush Fund Scandal ... Six Years Later

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s opponents in the mayoral race are trying to resurrect the “slush fund scandal”, when the Council allegedly assigned millions of dollars to fictitious organizations, The Wall Street Journal writes (via City & State) : Campaigns Hit Quinn on 'Slush Fund'

. @ChrisCQuinn's Quid Pro Quo : Slush Funds In Exchange for Campaign Donations http://t.co/fT05HkE4nj #Preet #corruption #indictment

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) July 3, 2013

Is The Victory Fund Skirting Campaign Finance Laws To Help Christine Quinn's Troubled Campaign ?

Some government watchdogs are raising questions about a national PAC paying for Christine Quinn's out-of-town trips. online.wsj.com/article/SB1000…

— Michael Howard Saul (@MichaelHwrdSaul) June 13, 2013

Is the Victory Fund deliberately violating Campaign Finance caps on in-kind contributions to Speaker Christine Quinn's troubled mayoral campaign ? The Wall Street Journal reports that, "The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which endorsed Ms. Quinn and had collected $165,000 in contributions for her mayoral campaign as of last month, paid her to travel to the PAC's fundraising events in Houston, San Diego and Chicago. Records filed with the city's Campaign Finance Board show Ms. Quinn's mayoral campaign accrued more than $20,000 in contributions from dozens of donors in those cities around the same time as the PAC's events." The reporter, Michael Howard Saul, added that, "At issue here is whether Ms. Quinn's campaign is benefiting directly from these events by not recording expenses associated with the trips."

Read more : New York City Mayoral Candidate Quinn Raised Money on Paid Trips (subscription may be required)

Christine Quinn, Liz Holtzman, CityTime, Pay-To-Play Endorsements

Christine Quinn Kept The CityTime Gravy Train Rolling ; Lobbyists Like Liz Holtzman Kept Rolling In The CityTime Dough ; Scratch-My-Back, Pay-To-Play Endorsements ?

Today, CityTime lobbyist Liz Holtzman endorsed the mayoral candidacy of Christine Quinn.

WNYC was one of many media Web sites, which reported Ms. Holtzman's connection to the $600 million CityTime scandal. Ms. Holtzman was once a four-term Congresswoman.

The city's lobbying database shows a small army of former prominent city officials who did work for SAIC and Technodyne. Defense contractor SAIC has retained former City Comptroller Liz Holtzman, Peter Powers, who served as Mayor Giuliani's top deputy Mayor for operations, and Seth Kaye, who worked in both the Giuliani and Bloomberg administrations. Technodyne's lobbyists include former Bloomberg Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner Gino Menchini and Agostino Cangemi, who also held key posts in both administrations. (CityTime Payroll Scandal a Cautionary Tale * WNYC)

Why is Speaker Quinn desperate to accept Ms. Holtzman's endorsement ? At one time, Ms. Holtzman was mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Congresman Anthony Weiner after his resignation, but Ms. Holtzman's connection to the scandalous CityTime fraud immediately disqualified her.

Ms. Holtzman's lobbying firm was paid $120,000 in 2009, $90,000 in 2010, and $200,000 in 2011 by SAIC, the maker of CityTime, to lobby New York City politicians in order to keep NYC.gov paying CityTime's huge cost overruns. Eventually, it was estimated that SAIC over-billed New York City by $600 million, and Ms. Holtzman was one of the principal lobbyist being paid to keep that gravy train rolling. Her lobbying firm was paid $410,000 to keep the CityTime gravy train rolling into Ms. Holtzman's station.

City Councilmember Letitia James called for investigations into CityTime, but Speaker Quinn, who controls the City Council like a dictator, thwarted each attempt to launch a full City Council investigation into the CityTime overbilling scandal. (Daily News)

Maybe Ms. Holtzman is grateful that Speaker Quinn thwarted all those City Council investigations, thereby protecting Ms. Holtzman's CityTime gravy train, and, as patronage, has offered up her endorsement as pay back ?

Ms. Holtzman's endorsement was made during an announcement of a group that Speaker Quinn's mayoral campaign describes as ''Women for Chris.''

If @repweiner enters mayor's race, @chriscquinn's lead will immediately drop by 11 points capitalnewyork.com/article/politi… @defeatquinn

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) April 18, 2013

Speaker Quinn's latest maneuvering with Ms. Holtzman's endorsement comes on the same day when it was announced that her campaign would immediately drop 11 percentage points in voter support if Mr. Weiner were to enter the mayoral race. Speaker Quinn also faces sharp criticism and endless protests by LGBT activists, who claim that Speaker Quinn has sold out.

2013-04-17 Extract - Liz Holtzman SAIC CityTime NYC Lobbyist Search (2009 Billing) by Connaissable

2013-04-17 Extract - Liz Holtzman SAIC CityTime NYC Lobbyist Search (2010 Billing) by Connaissable

2013-04-17 Extract - Liz Holtzman SAIC CityTime NYC Lobbyist Search (2011 Billing) by Connaissable

Do Rudin Donations And Christine Quinn's Inaction Amount To Influence Peddling ?

Do the political campaign donations by Beth R. DeWoody, Madeleine R. Johnson, Eric C. Rudin, Jack Rudin, Katherine Rudin, and William C. Rudin, who each donated $4,950 to Christine Quinn's presumed 2013 mayoral campaign, amount to influence peddling ? After all, since even before St. Vincent's Hospital closed, Speaker Quinn has been toeing the Rudin family line : close down St. Vincent's and replace it with an inferior urgent care center.

Not only did Speaker Quinn say that we only needed an urgent care center to replace St. Vincent's, but she approved the Rudin family's plan, allowing St. Vincent's Hospital to be rezoned into luxury condos. Since 2010, the Rudin family has been trying to get approval for a billion-dollar real estate development plan for the buildings that belong to the bankruptcy estate of St. Vincent's Hospital. Since the Rudin family wants to build luxury high-rise condos on the site of St. Vincent's, and since they needed City Council approval from Speaker Quinn, do these large campaign donations explain why Speaker Quinn did nothing to restore a Level I trauma center and full-service hospital to the former St. Vincent's site ? Does Speaker Quinn's official acts come as a result of sizable campaign donations from the likes of the Rudin family ?

To Preet Bharara : Do @chriscquinn's official acts come as a result of campaign donations ? christine-quinn-sold-out.blogspot.com/2011/02/rudin-… #StVincentsHospital

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) April 4, 2013

Malcolm Smith, Dan Halloran Arrested In Election Fraud Attempt

2013 03 29 Complaint Against Smith Malcolm Dan Halloran Et Al

State Sen. Malcolm Smith and New York City Councilman Dan Halloran arrested in 'bribery plot' to rig mayor race * Dem Smith schemed to run as a Republican * Faces corruption rap with Republican Halloran (NYPost)

State Sen. Malcolm Smith and city Councilman Dan Halloran were arrested this morning on charges they plotted to rig this year’s mayoral election through fraud and bribes.

The pols allegedly formed an alliance built on cash payments and fraud to get Smith — one of the state’s top Democrats — placed on the GOP mayoral ballot, sources said.

FBI agents arrested them both at their Queens homes shortly after 6 a.m.

Read more : True News From Change

When will the feds investigate the many alleged ethics violations by @chriscquinn ? #slushfunds #campaignfinance #paytoplay

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) April 2, 2013

Quinn Weakens Campaign Finance Laws For Corporations

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn thinks that corporations are people, too, and that they deserve to be counted as member organizations in order to allow corporations to use corporate money to influence the outcome of elections.

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn achieved a life-long dream to weaken campaign finance laws yesterday. A new bill, which was passed with almost unanimous support through the New York City Council, was nominally promised to help unions, but the dark side of the bill is a backdoor loophole that exempts corporations from disclosing election-related communications with their employees, stockholders, directors, and other stakeholders about activities that corporations undertake to endorse and support corrupt candidates.

. @chriscquinn weakens campaign finance rules for corporationscityandstateny.com/city-council-p… @opensecretsdc @moneyinpolitics @ows_getmoneyout

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) January 24, 2013

Read also :

"City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, facing accusations that legislation she championed opened a 'gaping loophole' in New York City's campaign-finance system, backed off her proposal and oversaw the passage of a watered-down bill Wednesday that reduced the reporting requirements for unions, corporations and advocacy groups." (Council Eases Finance Rules * The Wall Street Journal)

Susman and Quinn Violate Campaign Finance Disclosure (No Surprise)

. @defeatquinn @prideagenda @emilyslist Remember how @chriscquinn flouted #campaignfinance rules with #MauraKeaney in the past ? @colvinj

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) January 17, 2013

Is Pfizer executive Sally Susman, who has reached her cap of in-kind campaign contributions to Christine Quinn's undeclared mayoral campaign, deliberately trying to exceed campaign finance restrictions ? What kind of shady campaign finance chair is running Speaker Quinn's mayoral campaign ?

Speaker Quinn has had a history of campaign finance ethics. Remember how Maura Keaney has had several questions raise about her campaign work on behalf of Speaker Quinn, including getting busted one time, which resulted in fines imposed on Ms. Keaney ?

Quinn Retreats on NYC Version of Citizens United-Like Law

Christine Quinn Delays Hearing on Campaign Bill

From The New York Times :

Christine C. Quinn, the speaker of the City Council, has delayed action on a bill that would loosen regulations on spending by unions and advocacy groups in New York City elections, as Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg denounced the measure as “a terrible idea” and “really not good for democracy.”

... The measure would allow advocacy groups like unions to work directly with candidates on political communications with their members, who often make up influential voting blocs in city races. The costs for those activities would not be counted against a candidate’s spending limit, leading critics to argue the bill would unleash a torrent of unchecked spending by outside groups. ...

Tom Allon, a candidate for the Republican mayoral primary, said he was opposed to Speaker Quinn's weakening of the city's campaign finance laws, and he sharply criticized Ms. Quinn in an interview with The New York Times.

Read more : Christine Quinn Delays Hearing on Campaign Spending Bill

Allon Becomes Republican To Help Mayoral Bid

Tom Allon switches crosses over to the GOP in an effort to break through the strangle-hold that Christine Quinn's political machine has over the Democratic Party.

Gregory Floyd Pass Fake ?

Heard on the Street: Is Gregory Floyd running for mayor in 2013 in order to split the African-American vote ?

According to a Federal lawsuit filed in Brooklyn, Teamsters Local 237 President Gregory Floyd threw the union's support behind Mayor Michael Bloomberg back in 2009 in exchange for preferential treatment. Now that Mayor Bloomberg is pulling the strings for City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's mayoral campaign, Mr. Floyd is being positioned to run for mayor in 2013. Is it because Mayor Bloomberg wants to prop up Mr. Floyd, so that Mr. Floyd can split the African-American vote and diminish Bill Thompson ?

Donny Moss : "Vote Quinn Out"

At Hospital Forum, Donny Moss Says : "Vote Christine Quinn Out Of Office."

MANHATTAN (16 Feb 2011) -- During the Questions & Answers period following a community forum for a new Lower West Side hospital, the activist Donny Moss questioned the campaign donations made to New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn by the Rudin family.

The Rudin family makes its fortune from real estate, and the family has expressed interest in 2009 in developing the real estate belonging to St. Vincent's Hospital. (Now that St. Vincent's is in a weaker bargaining position, because it has gone bankrupt and has closed, the Rudin Management Company is trying to cut its offering price for the St. Vincent's real estate that it wants to buy.)

For turning her back on the community and for taking what Mr. Moss said was $30,000 in donations from the Rudin family, Mr. Moss questioned Ms. Quinn's loyalty to her constituency — adding that we needed to vote her out of office.

At Quinn Protest, A Show of NYPD Intimidation ?

Is Speaker Quinn using city resources, and police,
for campaign activities ?

At a political fundraiser on the evening of Feb. 2, 2011, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn deployed a large team of police officers. Three peaceful protesters, myself included, gathered to hold up a banner, asking for a new hospital for the Lower West Side of Manhattan, to replace St. Vincent's. Police told us to move, and one officer pushed me to get me to move, even though we were on a public sidewalk and not blocking traffic. Plus, there were no barricades, to indicate that there was a restricted zone. Is Speaker Quinn using city resources, and police, for campaign activities ? Who is instructing NYPD to intimidate protesters ?

Christine Quinn Protest

New York voters, open your eyes !

Speaker Christine Quinn shows up to gay rights events -- or gay engagement announcements, like the one that took place on the evening that this YouTube was made -- but Speaker Quinn has never introduced any law to establish marriage equality in New York City.

In contrast, Gavin Newson helped to reshape marriage equality for the United States by allowing same-sex couples to receive marriage licenses in San Francisco.

What comparable action has Speaker Quinn taken ?

Besides being a do-nothing gay leader, look at some of the other unacceptable lows in Speaker Quinn's political record :

• Sick Leave. In 2010, Speaker Quinn rejected paid sick leave, hurting working families and low income New Yorkers.
• St. Vincent's. Also in 2010, Speaker Quinn abandoned any care for public health for the entire Lower West Side of Manhattan after she did nothing to save St. Vincent's Hospital.
• Term Limits. In 2008, Speaker Quinn made a shady deal with Mayor Bloomberg to overturn term limits.
• Slush Funds. Moreover, in 2008, The NYTimes reported that Speaker Quinn oversaw the allocation of discretionary funds to fake groups : ‘’… her office had continued a seven-year-old practice of squirreling away money so it could be handed out away from the public eye.’’ Then, last month, The NYTimes exposed the fact that Speaker Quinn continues her practise of using controversial City Council discretionary funds.

See also :

• http://christine-quinn-sold-out.blogspot.com/
• http://christinequinnmbminime.blogspot.com/
• http://www.christinequinn.com/