The top NYC political story, of course, is the City Council's acknowledgement that it used fictitious names to account for funds -- slush funds, really -- that Speakers past and/or present would use at his or her discretion to dole out to chosen programs.
Seasoned Council correspondent Frankie Edozien broke the scandal in the Post yesterday, and everyone else follows up today. Questions abound as to what the storm may mean to Mayor Mike Bloomberg's Manhattan toll plan, given Council Speaker Christine Quinn's backing for it.
It looks for now as if the budgeteers in the Hall thought up a cute and creative way to track money flows for the pork barrel. Remember, this is a budget so large and complicated -- think of a state-sized government just for the five boroughs -- that Rudy Giuliani's travel costs to Long Island were sent through the obscure Loft Board and his construction of a multimillion emergency management office was silently authorized without a cottage industry of monitors even knowing about it.
Dan Janison
Via Azi and the Observer, here's Quinn talking:
Comments (1)
The council congestion tax vote can no way be viewed as valid until there is a "clear and present answer" to the question; Did Quinn use these funds to influence votes. Time for a special prosecutor from outside the club to take this on.