Friday, February 17, 2017

The Pay to Play Conflict of Interests of de Blasio's Criminal Law Firm in the Federal and State Investigation That Also Lobby's Him for Developers

Ethic Experts Will Pay to Play Contributors Be Donating to de Blasio Legal Fund? Will JCOPE Approve the Fund?

Ethics experts howl over de Blasio’s debt fund (NYP) de Blasio’s announcement that he’ll have donors pay his mounting legal bills tied to suspected City Hall corruption is drawing howls of protest from government watchdogs and ethics experts. De Blasio will be walking into “a trap of his own making” if he hits up supporters for cash to fund his defense, said John Kaehny, executive director of the reform group Reinvent Albany. “He’s responding to probes about his fund-raising activities by doing more fund-raising,” Kaehny noted. On Friday, de Blasio outlined a fund-raising effort to get himself out from under the mountain of unpaid debt he’s racked up since hiring defense lawyer Barry Berke in April. “A donor is not giving money to an individual. You’re giving money to an elected official,” she said. “This sets up potential pay-to-play possibilities . . . It looks very messy.” Lawyer David Grandeau, former executive director of the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics, noted JCOPE was already investigating de Blasio’s since-shuttered nonprofit, the Campaign for One New York, and could have a problem with de Blasio’s payment plan. “Obviously, if you give money to the defense fund, you’re benefiting the mayor, so that would be problematic for those that are lobbyists or their clients,” Grandeau said. “I’m pretty sure the people at JCOPE would consider that to be an illegal gift to the mayor.” The city has $11.6 million in contracts with law firms representing de Blasio underlings in the probes, which involve both CONY and a failed bid by de Blasio to help Democrats win the state Senate in 2014. Mayoral spokesman Eric Phillips said de Blasio wanted his own lawyer in order to spare taxpayers the expense. He added that when the legal fund “is eventually formed, the mayor will voluntarily disclose donors and the legal protocols used to comply with any and all regulation related to City Hall.” Neither Berke nor the managing partner at Kramer Levin, Paul Pearlman, returned requests for comment.

de Blasio Legal Fees to Be Paid for by the Same Deep Pocket Developers ThatFunded CONY Now Under Federal Investigation

NY1 and the Rest of the Media Only Report What the Mayor Flack Want About the Mayor's Criminal Investigation

Press Does Not Investigate or Ask the Mayor About the Criminal Acts That the U. S. Attorney and the Manhattan DA Have Grand Juries Hearing Evidence for Possible Charges Against the Mayor and His Team

De Blasio plans legal defense fund to cover all his probes (NYP) de Blasio on Friday said he plans to set up a legal defense fund to cover the costs of his lawyers in state and federal investigations of his administration and fundraising. “We have not yet set that up. When we do we have to raise money into it according to a set of rules. We have to disclose, we absolutely will disclose the money.”* De Blasio Puts Out 'Fact Sheet' on Upcoming Meeting withFederal Prosecutors (NY1) "The administration has released all it will provide at this time concerning these voluntary meetings," a line from the fact sheet reads When pressed about about his discussion with the U.S. attorney's office, which has not yet happened, de Blasio promised to let New Yorkers know once it's behind him. "We will tell you when it's done," de Blasio said. "You don't have to ask each time. We guarantee when that happens we will tell you when it's done."

The Judge in the Case That NY1 is Suing the Mayor to Release It Special Agent's Emails Said There Was A Possible "Conflict of Interest" Between the Mayor and his Lobbyist Aides Berlin Rosen

NY1 has an obligation to investigate if there is conflict of interests between the mayor and the lawyers who are both handling the mayor’s defense against pay to play and who he owes over a million dollars to at the same time the firm lobbies the mayor for dozens of real estate lobbyists

Press Only Reports On A Mayoral Flacks "Fact Sheet"

Earlier in the day, City Hall released a “fact sheet” outlining his effort to cooperate with state and federal authorities — disclosing that he had neither sought nor been offered immunity. The document largely repeated earlier statements from Hizzoner and his reps, including that he and his staff have cooperated fully with the probes and that no one did anything wrong. The statement also said that the mayor — who had met with investigators from Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr.’s office — would meet with US Attorney Preet Bharara’s team in coming days. Though both state and federal grand juries are hearing evidence in criminal probes into the de Blasio Administration over fundraising, the mayor repeatedly refers to the investigations only as “reviews.”

Press Ignores That the Mayor is Creating A PAC to Raise Funds for Eliminate A Campaign Issues That the Tax Payers Are Not Paying for His Lawyers

“The Mayor has never been informed that he is a target of these reviews,” the statement said, while not addressing whether he has been told he is not a target. The statement also said that “no taxpayer dollars will be used to fund the Mayor’s individual compliance with these reviews.” Others under investigation, however, are getting lawyers that could cost taxpayers more than $11.6 million.

Why Has the Press Not Asked de Blasio Why Wolfe and Offringer Both Under State and Federal Investigation are Working in His Campaign?

Top de Blasio aide Emma Wolfe and fundraiser Ross Offinger, who’s now working as a consultant on the mayor’s 2017 re-election campaign, are also targets of the DA’s probe, according to public reports.

True News is Proud That The NY Post Finds Our Research Important But They Must Understand That Interlocking-Directorates of Kramer Levin de Blasio's Lawyers Who Lobby Him Run to Its Core of the Shadow Govt Pay to Play Just Ask Judge Lobis
The corruption cloud over Mayor de Blasio just got darker (NYP) More: The mayor’s attorney at Kramer Levin is Barry Berke, who also represents the Campaign for One New York — a group de Blasio set up but that was supposed to be independent. CONY’s fundraising on behalf of de Blasio is also under investigation. The conflicts mushroom: In 2014, de Blasio withdrew the nomination of another Kramer Levin lawyer, Marcie Kesner, to the Landmarks Preservation Commission because she’d have to recuse herself from too many land-use cases. And Berke is also the mayor’s rep on the Lincoln Center board of directors and his ex-campaign treasurer. As David Grandeau, a former executive director of the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics, puts it: “If you give money to the defense fund, you’re benefiting the mayor [and] that would be problematic for those that are lobbyists or their clients.”

The NY Post Says The Fact That de Blasio Has Not Paid His Law Firm and They Are Lobbying Him for Their Clients Sets Up Some Shady Ways
The idea that the law firm is, in effect, extending him credit is troubling enough, since that can be seen as a “favor” — just as any lower-than-usual rates it charges would be. But how can a mayor up to his eyeballs in corruption probes try to keep such key info secret, especially when he insists he has done nothing wrong? What makes the secretive deferred-payment deal particularly problematic is that the law firm, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, also lobbies city agencies on behalf of clients with business before the city. So de Blasio may return those favors in some shady way. (NYP)

Federal Rat Rechnitz Attended Fund Raiser At Kramer Levin Office in 2013
By Dec. 3, 2013, weeks before Mr. de Blasio took office, Mr. Rechnitz was sitting in a conference room packed with other potential donors at the Midtown law firm Kramer Levin. There, according to a person who also attended the meeting, the mayor spoke to the group before leaving the room. Those in attendance were then asked for contributions. (NY Times)

Kramer Levin Pushing Tall Building On Two Bridges Community and Protesters

Waterfront Developers Reject Demand for Longer CommunityEngagement Process (DNAINFO) Developers bringing three massive residential developments to the Two Bridges waterfront have rejected a demand from neighborhood representatives to allow more time for community engagement before the city kicks off its official review of the projects' anticipated impact, stating they believe it would be "counterproductive." Kramer Levin Lobby for Two Bridges Associates Limited Partnership City Planning, Department of (DCP), City Planning Commission (CPC), Mayor, Office of the (OTM), Borough President - Manhattan, NYC Council Members, Community Boards * Out of the mouths of attorneys: Kramer Levin’s leaders onland use, rezoning (Real Deal)

Kramer Levin, whose real estate condo practice is co-headed by Jay Neveloff and Jonathan Canter, took the top spot in 2015, with seven projects valued at $7.3 billion, up 73 percent year-over-year.

Neveloff A Trump Attorney Runs the Real Estate Department for Kramer Levin

For those in the industry who lack close ties to Trump, there are numerous potential middlemen that could help gain access, sources say. One is Trump’s attorney Jay Neveloff, who heads the real estate department at Kramer Levin. Asked for comment, Neveloff said he is certain Trump will not be susceptible to special interests (Atlantic Yard Review).

List of Kramer Levin Clients That They They Lobbied de Blasio's City Hall List in Formation

137 Centre Street, LLC
Roseland Development Associates, LLC
VIDEO: Roseland Ballroom Being Gutted to Make Way forApartment Tower
The Shubert Organization, Inc., Seaver Realty LLC, Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, DH VERNON LLC. Lenox Terrace Development Associates Lenox Terrace ResidentsFighting Against Proposed Commercial Rezoning (DNAINFO), Urban Strategic Partners, LLC, The Core Club 55th Street LLC, Douglaston Development, SJC 33 OWNER 2015, LLC, MIP One Wall Street Acquisition LLC, The Archdiocese of New York, South Street Seaport Limited Partnership, NY 70th St. LLC, Design Center Inc., 94th Street Property TIC, 172-174 East, LLC, DH VERNON LLC, 771 Washington Street Investor LLC, 458 LLC, 137 Centre Street, LLC, Graduate Center Foundation Housing Corporation LIC, YWA-Amsterdam LLC, 21E12 LLC, 245 Fieldston LLC, RFR Holding Corp, MIP One Wall Street Acquisition LLC, DiamondRock Hospitality Limited Partnership for the benefit of DiamondRock NY LEX Owner, LLC., 249 W 28th Street Properties, LLC, Brickman 95 Morton LLC, The Archdiocese of New York, FPG Cobble Hill Acquisitions, LLC

On April 27, 2016 Real Deal Reported Kramer Levin's Berke Was the Lawyer for the Jewish Home Lifecare Development Two Days Later Real Deal Said Another Lawyer Was Handling the Case On May 6th the Daily News Reported That Berke Was the Lawyer for Both the Development and the Parking Lot That Was Part of the Project

In a fight with Public School 163 parents — an Upper West Side school fighting to stop the owner of a toxic lot and developer who want to put a nursing home nearby — Kramer Levin represented both the owner of the W. 97th St. parking lot, PWV Owners LLC, and Jewish Home Lifecare, the nursing home group that wants to build the 20-story facility. (NY Daily News, (May 6th 2016) * Judge Says More Environmental Review Needed on UWS NursingHome (Manhattan Express) According to Marty Rosenblatt, a neighbor who arranged for expert lead testing on the site, the mayor’s favor for the JHL project may stem from his close relations with Kramer Levin Naftalis and Frankel LLP, a law firm that represented JHL in the past and currently represents Joseph Chetrit, a real estate developer with a big investment in the 97th Street development being approved. In late 2011, Joseph Chetrit partnered with Larry Gluck of Stellar Management, who owns the parking lot on West 97th Street that would be replaced by the nursing home, to complete a land swap deal for JHL’s current campus on West 106th Street, which like the West 97th site is between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. Many observers believe Chetrit, a well-known developer, plans to construct a tall luxury condo development on JHL’s former campus. Kramer Levin, Rosenblatt noted, represented JHL on the nursing home project during its appearances before the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals in 2015. (Manhattan Express)

Kramer and Levin is Pushing A Toxic Lot According to Judge Lobis Development On the Upper West Side
De Blasio’s law firm also represents controversial UWS developer he backed (Raw Deal, April 27, 2016) Kramer Levin is working on both the mayor’s corruption probe and Jewish Home Lifecare’s nursing home project The law firm aiding Mayor Bill de Blasio in his fight against a federal campaign finance investigation is also working with Jewish Home Lifecare, the developer of a controversial 20-story nursing home on the Upper West Side, which de Blasio has supported.The firm is working with JHL on its 97th Street project, in which the developer hopes, among other things, to dig up a lead-tainted parking lot adjacent to P.S. 163. Residents have fought the project for years. It passed an environmental review last year, but that review was vacated by the New York Supreme Court in December. The developer is seeking to overturn that ruling. De Blasio’s office filed an amicus brief on that case in March. “That is an example of where the relationships bump into one another and it would be best to keep them apart,”

Suit linked to mayor’s campaigncontroversy could disrupt land-use rules (Real Deal April 29, 2016) The mayor’s office filed a friend of the court brief in favor of the developer, Jewish Home Lifecare, setting off accusations that de Blasio simply wanted to help out the law firm representing the developer, Kramer Levin. The firm is also representing de Blasio in the federal investigation into whether he funneled contributions to candidates in the 2014 state Senate election to avoid contribution limits. City officials told the website that Kramer Levin attorney and longtime de Blasio ally Barry Berke wasn’t involved in the lawsuit, though the firm does represent the developer in other matters. Greenberg Traurig is representing the developer in the lawsuit. The city’s brief claimed that the lawsuit could “upset the consistent and predictable process developed over decades by the city for reviewing potential environmental impacts of projects and programs throughout the city.” The brief argued that Supreme Court Justice Joan Lobis’ ruling in favor of the parents and students would “insert an arbitrary threshold for adequacy into the environmental review process.” The appeals court is slated to hear the case in June

Nursing-home associates donate to Mark-Viverito’s re-election (NYP) Nearly two-dozen associates of an upper Manhattan nursing home donated to a City Council member’s re-election campaign after she got the facility a unique exemption from local construction rules. A total of 17 trustees, four staff members, an associate and a lobbyist for Jewish Home and Hospital — many of whom don’t live in the city, let alone uptown — contributed to Melissa Mark-Viverito’s 2009 council campaign, online records show. Their combined $7,825 in donations made up 10 percent of the total that Mark-Viverito — currently the front-runner for council speaker — raised for the race. Many of their grants were matched with public funding at a rate of 6 to 1, making them worth much more. While there’s no evidence Mark-Viverito’s campaign solicited the contributions, the donations all came after she got the nursing home the right to construct a building at 120 W. 106th St. that would exceed the height limit under a rezoning plan. It was the only facility to get a carve-out after the center, now known as Jewish Home Lifecare, spent $100,000 on lobbying directed at council and community-board members.

Three Years Ago True News Said Berlin Rosen Relationship With de Blasio Was Corrupt Now A Judge Cites Apparent Conflict of Interests on Their Relationship

Judge raises concerns over de Blasio’s ties to consultant (NYP) A Manhattan judge on Tuesday expressed concern about the apparent conflict of interest in the mayor’s confidential relationship with a political consultant who has business before the city.“ It’s hard enough for me to accept this position if it was just the notion of a consultant, but we also have a consultant with possible conflicts. So we have kind of two hurdles,” Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Joan Lobis said. Lobis is deciding a lawsuit filed by The New York Post and NY1 for access to emails between Mayor de Blasio and his longtime adviser Jonathan Rosen. The mayor has said their communications are not subject to the Freedom of Information Law because the statute exempts “consultants.” But Judge Lobis said “one of my deepest concerns about adopting the mayor’s position is I don’t know where you draw that line” of who is a consultant and who isn’t.

Rosen has not been officially retained as a consultant to de Blasio and is not on the payroll. But he is “the only outsider” invited to high-level City Hall meetings about matters like zoning regulations while he represents developers, NY1 attorney Doug Maynard said. “Anybody can be a consultant without any contract or relationship with an agency. How does that give you the right to exempt emails?” she asked. Consultant acted as member of de Blasio admin, email dump shows City lawyer Jeffrey Danowtiz claimed that Rosen should be considered a consultant because he has given advice and guidance to the mayor over “many, many years.” Danowitz also said the city has already handed over communications between the two that involve Rosen’s clients who have city business. Judge Lobis told Danowitz that “at the minimum” she may want to review all the emails to make sure the mayor’s not hiding anything. Maynard said the city has conceded that Rosen has certain conflicts of interest by making the disclosures, yet, “they don’t seem to accept the consequence that Mr. Rosen’s position is inherently conflicted.” “The conflict resides in Mr. Rosens’s business interests,” he said. The public has a “right to understand…the murky intersection between [Rosen’s] business interests and city interests,” Maynard argued.

How True News Investigation Exposed the Campaign for OneNY Interlocking Directories Story

Lobbyists BerlinRosen Takes Over NYC Government

Sugar Fix: Berlin Rosen an Unregistered Real Estate Lobbyists

NY1 Berlin Rosen and the Wiseguys Lobbyists

Berlin Rosen and de Blasio One NY PAC Slush Fund

How Berlin Rosen Comprised Journalism

Lobbyists Berlin Rosen Takes Over NYC Government

Berlin Rosen and de Blasio One NY PAC Slush Fund

NY1 Berlin Rosen and the Wiseguys Lobbyists

The WFP and Berlin Rosen Has Played Fast and Lose With the Election Law, Data and Field Arrests''

The Mayor in 2014 Had to Dismiss His Own Nomination to BSA From the Same Law Firm That Now Represents Him in the Federal and State Investigation of Pay to Play Corruption Because of A Conflict of Interests That He Now Says Does Not Exist

The mayor’s office rescinded the nomination of Marcie Kesner from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The firm where Ms. Kesner works, Kramer Levin, had enough clients with business before the city that there was concern she’d have to recuse herself from LPC votes often. “Marcie Kesner is exceptionally well-qualified to sit on the LPC, and the Conflicts of Interest Board had issued a guidance letter signifying approval of her future appointment,” de Blasio spokesman Wiley Norvell told the Observer. “However, upon receipt of the COIB guidance letter and consideration of the effect of her Kramer Levin LLC her firm’s client representations on her ability to fully participate in the LPC’s deliberations, it was mutually agreed between the Mayor’s Office and Ms. Kesner to examine other opportunities within the administration that could fully benefit from her considerable experience.” NY Observer 2014

NY Times Failed Kingdom Local Mission Elect de Blasio Protect Real Estate Developers

Berke From Kramer and Levin Represents de Blasio in the Federal and State Play to Pay Investigations Took Over As His Campaign Treasurer When His Former Treasurer Offinger Became A Federal Target

Barry Berke represents de Blasio in his ongoing federal and state probe into his fund-raising. Berke, of the high-powered firm Kramer Levin, had been representing de Blasio’s 2013 campaign and will now handle that along with the mayor personally. De Blasio made Berke his campaign treasurer in January 2014 and designee to the Lincoln Center board of directors. In July 2014, the mayor tried to nominate another Kramer Levin staffer, Marcie Kesner, to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. That appointment collapsed over conflict questions.

At the same time, Kramer Levin has lobbied the office of the mayor, the city Department of Planning and the Board of Standards and Appeals for many real estate interests. (Daily News 2014)

de Blasio Has Not Paid His Law Firm Who Charged Their Client Bernard Kerik $850 an Hour

That’s good news since Berke — who represented disgraced former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik in his unsuccessful battle against corruption charges — charges $850 an hour.

Conflict of Interests Made More Clear by True News and the Daily News: Are You Listening NY1?
From the Daily News on de Blasio "Conflict of Interests: De Blasio reveals deal to defer paying legal fees fromprobe until he sets up fund-raising committee (NYDN) he law firm representing Mayor de Blasio in investigations of his fund-raising tactics has been sending bills for nearly a year, but as of Friday has yet to receive a dime. The mayor said he has an agreement with the firm, Kramer Levin Naftalis, to defer payment until he sets up a fund-raising committee to foot the bill. That means the mayor likely currently owes tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars to one of the biggest lobbyist law firms in the city. He declined to say how large the tab is. The firm has said it keeps its lobbying and legal representation separate. Barry Berke, the mayor’s lawyer at Kramer Levin, did not respond to calls.

Records show the Kramer Levin firm in His Criminal Investigation (That He Owes $$$) was lobbying the mayor’s office in 2015 and 2016 on behalf of dozens of real estate developers seeking zoning changes and project approvals
That includes DDG Development, which hired Kramer in May 2015. Kramer handled DDG’s petition for a zoning change on a luxury condo project in Tribeca before the city Bureau of Standards & Appeals. On June 23, 2015, the BSA approved DDG’s application, despite vociferous neighborhood opposition about the project’s size. Eight days later DDG wrote a $10,000 check to the mayor’s now defunct non-profit, Campaign for One New York. CONY is now at the heart of the federal investigation. Asked whether the law firm allowing him to defer payment on legal bills while lobbying his team presented a conflict of interest, the mayor defended the firm. "They're one of the most renowned legal firms for this type of work. They're an obvious place to turn for legal support,” he said. “And I'm going to continue to make sure that their bills are paid off fully. But any other matters, we have an absolute ability to separate the different considerations. That's what I've said about everything in this reality. We're making decisions on any governmental matters according to the merits." De Blasio confirmed the arrangement in response to Daily News questions at the Friday press conference, though he wouldn’t say how many hours the firm had billed for or reveal the range of hourly rates. "I'm not even sure that's a purely appropriate public matter,” he said. “The bottom line is, they have sent bills, they will be paid. It's going to take a while. That is for sure." He promised to eventually “disclose the money,” but didn’t say whether he would reveal names of donors or whether they had business with City Hall. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara is investigating whether de Blasio did favors for donors to Campaign for One New York. The News found at least $3 million of the $4.3 million he raised came from entities doing business with City Hall.

Daily News Repeats What True News Said Yesterday de Blasio is Going to the Same Pay to Play Developers Who Funded His CONY PAC That He is Under Investigation For

Bill-able hours (NYDN Ed) Give Mayor de Blasio points for consistency. His zeal to raise money above and beyond limits set by the city’s public campaign finance system gave rise to his Campaign for One New York, which raised millions from firms doing business with the city. Investigators working with Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara took interest, given signs that those who paid, played, reaping perhaps favorable treatment in reward for their generosity. And so de Blasio commits to set up a defense fund to pay his lawyers’ way. Eventually. Once the mayor raises more money from who knows whom with who knows what ties to city business. Meanwhile: His lawyers, whose firm lobbies the city, are floating his way. Since they argue that all the mayor did and will do is above board, what’s to see here?

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Bedford Armory

Opposition mounts to @BilldeBlasio's Bedford Union Armory plan(POLITICONY)

Community Opposition Slows Approval Process ForControversial Crown Heights Armory Project (Gothamist)

Shady Nursing Home Partner Pulls Out of Bedford Armory Deal

Firm involved in shady nursing home deal pulls out of major project(NYP) The company that riled City Hall by hushing up its purchase of a Lower East Side nursing home has pulled out of a major project under pressure from the administration, sources said Wednesday.The Slate Property Group sold its interest in the Bedford-Union Armory in Crown Heights to its collaborator on the project, BFC Partners, just two weeks after Mayor de Blasio said he was taking a “hard look”at its role. Slate and BFC in December were awarded a long-term lease to build 330 units of housing along with recreational and office space on the city-owned site. But the mayor ordered a review after two investigations found that Slate officials had instructed subordinates to keep quiet about the firm’s interest in purchasing the decades-old Rivington House nursing home on the Lower East Side.
The seller, the Allure Group, at the time was still working to get the city to lift deed restrictions governing the use of the property. “Guys, please make sure we do not discuss this deal with anyone on the outside right now,” Slate founder Matt Nussbaum wrote in an e-mail to 10 company officials in May 2015.“The seller is very concerned that the city and [the nursing-home] union will find out that he is in contract to sell at the price that we are buying it, which will directly impact his ability to have the deed restriction removed,” the e-mail continued. “Once he has it removed, we can do whatever we want.” Armory skirmish shows it's time to think bigger in CrownHeights (CrainsNY) Protesters are trying to kill a project backed by community leaders if it is not 100% affordable What makes this scenario different is that the plan to redevelop the Bedford-Union Armory in Crown Heights already has the backing of community leaders and elected officials. And those opposed are not the usual activists bent on beating back any development at any cost. Despite that rare level of support, activists rallied opposition, including from state legislators who have no formal role in the matter, around the notion that the development should be 100% affordable, with none of the market-rate apartments that make it possible to pay for the rec center in the first place. Critics cynically argue that by the time the rec center is completed there won’t be any poor people left in the neighborhood to use it.* ElectedOfficials Op-Ed: Public Owned Bedford Armory Should Be 100% Affordable * Op-Ed:Recreational Facilities at the Bedford Armory will be a Win for Crown Heights By Geoffrey Davis, Frank Johnson, Carlton Screen, Ty Grant and Dario Trujillo * Central Bklyn Lawmakers FOIL City On Bedford Armory Proposal

Now Carmelo Anthony Drops Out of Bedford-Union Armory Development Deal

Carmelo Anthony Drops Support for Bedford-Union Armory Redevelopment | DNAInfo Reports The team behind the controversial Bedford-Union Armory redevelopment has lost its star player Following pressure from local activists, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony has dropped all affiliation with the Crown Heights project, a representative of the athlete said Wednesday. But the move follows pressure from housing advocates (in the form of a rally, open letter and online petition) calling for the basketball player to drop a plan that “will further exacerbate the gentrification” of Crown Heights, the petition by New York Communities for Change read. NYCC, working with the Crown Heights Tenant Union and others, also called for the removal of developer Slate Property Group from the project for their involvement with the controversial sale and conversion of the Rivington House, a Lower East Side nursing home, into luxury housing. Soon afterwards, Slate backed out of the redevelopment following pressure from the mayor’s office, sources told DNAinfo New York. “Carmelo is our hero,” said Bertha Lewis, the former CEO of NYCC when it was known as ACORN, in a first report about Anthony’s decision in the New York Daily News. Currently, the redevelopment project will continue with BFC Partners, the real estate group chosen by the New York City Economic Development Corp. to co-develop with Slate. But NYCC is pushing to start from square one on the project.

SHIELDING THE COPS: NYPD suddenly stops sharing actions taken against disciplined officers, citing obscure law; watchdogs call new secrecy move a blow to transparency

New York Police Dept., Citing Law, Stops Sharing Personnel Data (NYT) Some criticized the department’s decision to shield information from journalists as a step away from transparency. * Citing a clause in a 40-year-old law, the NYPD has suddenly decided to keep records regarding the discipline of officers under lock and key — and will no longer release the information to the public, the Daily News reports.* Mayor de Blasio has no problem with keeping cops’ disciplinary records sealed, but once blasted NYPD’s lack of transparency (NYDN) * Think again, commish about hiding NYPD personnel info(NYDN)

True News (The Bund): NYPD, Bratton The Fight For Control

Why is Crime Up . . . More Cops

Sharpton CCRB vs NYPD, Noerdlinger, McCray, de Blasio

City Council Crime Fighting and the NYPD

de Blasio Fake News Inflated Grad Rates Education 2017

Teacher who exposed alleged grade-fixing back at war with DOE (NYP)

De Blasio’s $400 million Renewal program aimed at improving nearly 100 struggling schools has been heavily criticized, but leaders of troubled school districts across the state are looking to the program as a model, Politico New York reports.

* A report released by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found the median per pupil spending in New York schools stood at $22,658, though the average cost of educating a student varies by region, State of Politics writes.

* A total of 92 Democratic state Senators and Assembly members backed an effort by education advocates to add another $4.3 billion to school aid in an attempt to satisfy the terms of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit, State of Politics reports.

* New York education officials are poised to scrap a test designed to measure the reading and writing skills of people trying to become teachers, in part because an outsized percentage of black and Hispanic candidates were failing it, the Times Union reports.

* The state Board of Regents made the wrong call to eliminate as a requirement for teacher certification an exam designed to assess educators’ literacy, as teachers entrusted to improve reading and writing skills should be able to demonstrate those skills themselves, the Daily News writes.

Fresh signs that de Blasio's discipline 'reforms' endanger kids, teachers (NYP Ed)

http://nypost.com/2017/03/14/fresh-signs-that-de-blasios-discipline-reforms-endanger-kids-teachers/

Principal in grade-fixing scandal loses gig — but spared ax (NYP)

* With standardized student testing starting this week, the powerful New York State United Teachers union is aggressively reminding parents that kids can opt out, using billboards, bus shelter ads and a fact sheet for parents, the Daily News writes. * The NY teachers union's neverending war on tests (NYP)

DOE doubles number of top administrators under de Blasio (NYP)

Video of school brawl proof city is failing kids: union head (NYP)

de Blasio Refusal to Close Failing Schools Has Hurt Kids and Wasted Millions in Education Funding

Slow learner Bill: Yes, shutting bad schools is the bestoption (NYDN) de Blasio is learning from painful experience what careful study of the evidence should have taught him from the get-go: that Mike Bloomberg’s approach to chronically failing schools — closing them and letting kids get a better education elsewhere — made a hell of a lot of sense. As de Blasio slowly awakens, finally announcing plans to shutter six woefully underperforming schools, thousands of kids remain stuck in classrooms where real teaching and learning may never happen. In November 2014, the mayor stood before the city exuding moral conviction that a humane new approach to the city’s worst schools, now christened Renewal Schools, would yield dividends that mean old Mayor Mike failed to deliver. As de Blasio caricatured it, under Bloomberg “teachers were hamstrung,” parents and students were “written-off” and “put down,” and schools were summarily shut down long before they had a chance to change. In fact, the Bloomberg strategy — phasing out chronically failing schools with rock-bottom academic results and corrosive cultures, and opening new schools, both district and charter, in their place — helped kids. Reams of research confirms it. Under de Blasio’s watch, Chancellor Carmen Fariña began pouring upwards of $180 million a year into nearly 100 schools, layering on community programs, additional instructional time, teacher training and more. The money would buy progress, they promised, and no excuses. “We will demand fast and intense improvement — and we will see that it happens,” said de Blasio. That bold pronouncement proceeded to slam into the brick wall of reality. Enrollment in the schools has fallen, from 44,000 in 2014 to 37,000 this school year. And though results are uneven, by many indicators progress has been halting. Surely there have been some successes. But even granting those results, it’s hard to see how they add up to sufficient bang for the buck in what works out, in rough math, to nearly an extra $4,800 per enrolled kid per year.And despite all that focused attention and funding, at slated-for-closure Leadership Institute in the Bronx, enrollment is plummeting. At Monroe Academy for Visual Arts and Design, the graduation rate is now an abysmal 38%. At JHS 162 Lola Rodriguez De Tio, just 3% of students are doing math at grade level, and just 9% are passing state English tests.

de Blasio sharply criticized former Mayor Michael Bloomberg for closing schools Before He Became Mayor

City to Close or Merge 9 Schools That Were in Support Program (NYT) The institutions that will no longer be operating as before are part of the de Blasio administration’s Renewal program for low-performing schools. The Bloomberginitiative was nixed by Mayor de Blasio, who instead decided to pump money andresources into what he called “renewal” schools. * Bloomberg’s policy of closing failing schools helped students (NYP) * “If he does whathe promised, he will be the most important national leader against the movementto close down and privatize public education,” said Diane Ravitch, theeducation historian and blogger who opposes the kinds of changes Bloombergchampioned. (Wash Post) * State education officials are eyeing a plan that could “recalibrate” – and presumably lower – passing scores on a challenging new teacher licensing exam that has produced a failure rate of more than 20 percent since it was introduced statewide in 2015, Newsday writes. * NYC toalter disliked Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (NYDN)

Education Issues In Election Year 2017
More on Common Core,Testing Debate

NY's Failed Education System and No Fault Pols

Common Core Tests and Debate

Education War: de Blasio vs Cuomo

War: de Blasio vs Cuomo, How the GOP Won the Senate, Education Attack

Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña, Grade Fixing

3.0 de Blasio Details of UFT Pact 5 CUNY SUNY

Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña, Grade Fixing

More On Education, Charter Schools,Tenure

NY's Failed Education System and No Fault Pols

War: de Blasio vs Cuomo, How the GOP Won the Senate, Education Attack

Fake News About High School Grad Rates Only 4% Prepped for College

High school with 76% grad rate only prepped 4% for college (NYP) Bronxdale HS graduated 76 percent of its students last year — but just 4 percent met CUNY college-readiness standards, The Post has learned. Critics blasted the discrepancy, arguing that administrators are sacrificing instruction quality for attractive graduation rates. CUNY assesses a variety of student test scores to determine if kids are ready for basic math and English collegiate course work. Grads are deemed prepared if they post minimum scores on their SAT, ACT or Regents. But at Bronxdale — home to 430 students — just 4 percent of its sizeable graduating class managed to post qualifying scores on those exams. The rest would have to complete remedial course work at CUNY to catch up with their peers. Bronxdale’s graduation rate was higher than the borough average of 66 percent and comfortably beat the city average of 72 percent. “There’s a sharp disconnect in results based on graduation, proficiency and rigor,” CUNY Graduate Center Professor David Bloomfield said of the school.

A total 25 percent of Bronx kids and 37 percent of city students met the CUNY standards, according to DOE data

“No wonder the public gets dizzy with spin. Until these match up, accountability will be lacking.” Despite the troubling college- readiness numbers, Bronxdale managed to score an “excellent” rating in the DOE’s “rigorous instruction” category. The school received a perfect 4 out of 4 score, which even surpassed Bronx Science’s grade in the same category, which was 3 out of 4 — even though the elite school had 100 percent of its kids college-ready last year, according to the DOE. Bronxdale’s curious “rigorous instruction” score was determined by “an experienced educator who visited and evaluated the school on April 12, 2016,” as well as internal school surveys, according to the DOE’s School Quality Snapshot report. A DOE rep said the school was making strides and cautioned that the CUNY readiness measure was only one of many collegiate-preparedness metrics.* De Blasio has left my daughter in a school ‘desert’ (NYP) I came to the United States from Cuba nearly 20 years ago to be part of the American dream. It was a dream that I thought would provide me and my family with better opportunities and give my children a brighter future. Sadly, for me and my daughter, who is in seventh grade, my dream seems more out of reach than ever. That’s because we live in a school district in The Bronx where no middle schools — none — come even close to meeting basic standards. In other words, my daughter and I live in what StudentsFirstNY rightly calls a middle-school “desert.” It truly breaks my heart to think my daughter, Emanuela, must deal with the reality of this every single day. She loves to learn, but she consistently tells me that her teachers just don’t seem to care if she succeeds or fails. Just 11 percent of kids in her middle school are on grade level for math. In our district overall, only 17 percent of middle-school kids passed state reading tests and 14 percent passed math tests.* Seeking justice for all New York’s gifted kids (NYP) Kudos to Bronx and Brooklyn Borough Presidents Ruben Diaz Jr. and Eric Adams for pushing to expand the city schools’ Gifted and Talented programs. They’re right: Boosting access to G&T is one right way to increase opportunity to enter the city’s elite high schools. We look forward to hearing their task force’s recommendations on enlarging G&T. We have no real problem with the test that lets kids enter these programs in grades K-3. But too many districts have no G&T programs — which inevitably means plenty of parents never try to get their children in.* Harlem Schools Are Left to Fail as Those Not Far Away Thrive (NYT) Community School District 3, on Manhattan’s West Side, is home to some of the best public elementary schools, but the district is sharply divided by race, income and academic achievement.* Harlem Schools Are Left to Fail as Those Not Far Away Thrive (NYT)

Empty Grad Rates PR Spin
The emptiness behind NYC’s rising high-school-graduation rates (NYP Ed) For years, The Post has run exposés on “credit recovery” and grade- and test-fixing scams that boost graduation rates without the high school having to teach. Just last year, a Post investigation forced the ouster of DeWitt Clinton HS Principal Santiago Taveras for doctoring grades. Yet Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña hasn’t done much to punish principals and staff caught cheating. Indeed, she rewarded another alleged grade-fixer, Kathleen Elvin, the former principal at “Easy Pass” John Dewey HS, with a top DOE job. Teens who graduate without acquiring the skills they need get stuck floundering in college, or wasting a year or two in remedial classes. Those who try to go to work after high school face their own rude awakening. Rising graduation rates aren’t much of an achievement if you’re only handing out worthless diplomas to get them.

The State Spending Debate on School Spending

The sham debate on school spending: Stop holding Gov. Cuomo, who's invested well in K-12 education, to a made-up target (NYDN) Providing education funding for New York ’s children is one of the most important and expensive functions of state government. However, the supreme irony of Albany is that the policy surrounding school funding is based on misinformation and distortions that would be laughed out of any competent classroom. Education is a $60 billion business in our state, and the lobbying and public relations teams spin quite a tale. For years, “education advocates” have spun the fiction that the 2006 decision in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case and a 2007 “foundation aid” plan by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer require the state to increase education spending. The Campaign for Fiscal Equity decision had no bearing on Spitzer’s decision in 2007 to create a formula for operating aid for education called “foundation aid.” When making this change, he also proposed aspirational funding increases that would increase statewide funding by $4.8 billion by 2011, with New York City receiving $2.3 billion of that increase. However, due to the fiscal crisis, the Spitzer (and later Paterson) administration walked away from these benchmarks the very next year. As we all know, budget appropriations are in effect for one year only. Despite these clear facts, advocates continue to wrongly insist Spitzer’s goal was binding — even though the courts as recently as September unequivocally rejected that argument. New York spends more per pupil that any other state in the nation and roughly double the national average. At the same time, the share of local contributions to school funding has actually gone down in some districts. Over the past four years, state funding to New York City schools has increased at a rate 33% faster than the city’s own contribution.

Monday, February 6, 2017

Manhattan DA Interviews de Blasio For Money Laundering CONY PAC Contributors to Win Democratic State Senate Races BHARARA INTERVIEW NEXT

Manhattan DA Looking At How de Blasio's Laundered Money Through Campaign for 1NY PAC to Run State Senate Upstate Democratic Campaigns

Mayor de Blasio interviewed by Manhattan DA’s office amidprobe into his administration (NYDN) He said the interview "me and my lawyers" and took place "a few weeks back," but would not reveal any of what was discussed. De Blasio's office is being probed by state and federal authorities on multiple fronts, including whether they did favors for donors to the mayor's political non-profit, and how a deed restriction was lifted at a Lower East Side nursing home now being turned into luxury housing. De Blasio said he has not testified before a grand jury, nor has he been informed that he is a target of a grand jury investigation.* De Blasio says DA interviewed him over campaign fundraising (NYP) DA Cyrus Vance is investigating whether de Blasio violated state campaign finance laws in his effort to put a Democratic majority in the state Senate in 2014. The inquiry is examining whether large donations were funneled to specific candidates through upstate Democratic counties in an apparent bid to avoid campaign donation limits. Top de Blasio aide Emma Wolfe and his campaign fundraiser, Ross Offinger, who’s now working as a consultant on the mayor’s 2017 re-election campaign, are also targets of the DA’s probe, according to public reports. US Attorney Preet Bharara is separately probing the mayor’s shuttering nonprofit, the Campaign for One New York, and whether donors to the group got favors in return from City Hall. Hizzoner raised $4.3 million for the political nonprofit, including from hosts of individuals and firms with business interests before the city.* De Blasio admits to being interviewed by Manhattan prosecutors (NYP)

de Blasio's Secret Senate Campaign Funding and His 2016 Funding Problems

While de Blasio and the press focus on Putnam $$$ laundering the FBI looks at the Terminator: Citizens United

The mayor has repeatedly maintained that his office has followed the law and that no donors received special treatment. Separate federal and state grand juries have been convened in cases involving City Hall, but de Blasio said Wednesday that he hasn’t testified before either one. De Blasio Confirms Interview With Manhattan Prosecutors(NYT) “The Manhattan D.A.’s office asked for an interview and we did an interview,” Mr. de Blasio said in response to a question from a reporter at an unrelated news conference on traffic safety. Asked to clarify who was present for the interview, he said, pressing his hand to his chest, “Me, and my lawyers.” He did not provide the precise date of the interview, saying it had occurred “a few weeks back,” or any details of what was discussed, referring questions to his lawyers. Eric F. Phillips, the mayor’s top spokesman, later said it had occurred in late December and was “a voluntary discussion.” He declined further comment. Grand juries have been convened in both cases. Mr. de Blasio said on Wednesday that he had not testified before a grand jury or been notified that he was the target of a grand jury investigation. The fact that Mr. de Blasio was interviewed by prosecutors appeared to indicate that the state portion of the investigation had reached its final stages.

A law enforcement official, who requested anonymity in order to discuss the matter, said the outcome could be announced as soon as February. Others with knowledge of the federal inquiry said that it also appeared to be nearing completion. The Law Department, which along with lawyers from the firm Debevoise & Plimpton, is representing Mr. de Blasio and City Hall staff members in the inquiries, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the mayor’s interview. “I’m not going to characterize it; it was fine,” Mr. de Blasio said with a laugh as he was asked to describe the interview. “That’s good. Again, again. Guys. Not going into any details. Lawyers can fill in for you. I just told you the factual answer to your question.” * Amid more than a half-dozen probes of Mayor de Blasio’s administration, a number of municipal workers have been asked to sign a confidentiality agreement that makes it clear they should shut their traps when it comes to city business, it was reported Monday.
Gothamist wrote that “scores of City Hall staffers” were asked to immediately sign the agreement, an image of which the news site posted online.

Why are City Tax Payers the Bill for de Blasio Lawyers in A Crimial Investigation by the Manhattan DA That Has to Do With Politics and . . .
That Has Nothing to Do With City Govt Business?

de Blasio Bushes Off Political Work After This True News Report

Paying for his mistakes: Taxpayers are putting upmillions to fund the de Blasio administration's legal defense (NYDN) Taxpayer funds can only be used for legal services that apply to city workers doing city business — not to consultants paid by de Blasio’s now-shuttered Campaign for One New York or his failed effort to secure Democratic Party control of the state Senate.

De Blasio defends spending $11.7M on city’s legal bills (NYP, WNYC) At one point in the 30-minute interview, de Blasio grew irritated when Lehrer suggested city funds were being used to defend the mayor’s political campaign work — which is also under law enforcement scrutiny. “That’s entirely inaccurate,” de Blasio shot back. “That’s just crazy.” The campaign probes include one by the Manhattan District Attorney into de Blasio’s fund-raising on behalf of state Senate Democrats in 2014. The mayor said this week he was interviewed by DA officials in late December.

Taxpayers to payup to $11.65M for legal defense of de Blasio administration in probe offund-raising practices (NYO) Contract to Defend De Blasio and Aides to Cost City $11.6 Million (NYT) The bill for defending Mayor Bill de Blasio and other city officials in state and federal criminal investigations into fund-raising practices has grown, with six city contracts for outside law firms now totaling more than $11.6 million. The contracts, filed with the city comptroller’s office and obtained by The New York Times through a request under the state’s Freedom of Information Law, provide the bare minimum of detail as to their purpose other than representing city employees in possible grand jury hearings related to what the Law Department calls, in its paperwork, the “John Doe Investigation.” Taken together, the contracts contain a constellation of white-collar criminal defense and trial lawyers from law firms big and small, as well as the maximum they can bill in the city’s defense: Debevoise & Plimpton, $10 million; Carter Ledyard & Millburn, $750,000; Walden Macht & Haran, $350,000; Lankler Lawyers from the firms, all of which declined to comment on the contracts, are tasked with preparing witnesses who may be subpoenaed or asked to give testimony to a grand jury. State and federal grand juries have begun hearing evidence from prosecutors, according to people familiar with the matter.

Mr. de Blasio, who is facing re-election this year, said on Wednesday that while he had not testified before any grand jury, he had been interviewed by prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, which has been looking into whether he or his aides violated state law while raising money for Democrats in an unsuccessful effort to help his party take control of the State Senate in 2014. In the federal investigation, prosecutors are looking into whether Mr. de Blasio or other officials and aides provided beneficial action for donors in exchange for contributions to the mayor’s 2013 campaign or the Campaign for One New York, his now-shuttered political nonprofit. One of the contracts, with Carter Ledyard, mentions providing legal services in response to investigations into the removal by the city of a deed restriction on Rivington House, a Manhattan nursing home, that allowed for its sale to luxury condominium developers. That amount does not include spending on Barry H. Berke, a partner at Kramer Levin and his 2013 campaign treasurer, who is representing Mr. de Blasio as well.* De Blasio’s legal fees on the rise, will cost city over $11M (NYP) According to the records, which were obtained Thursday through a Freedom of Information request, the city’s Law Department agreed to pay Carter Ledyard & Milburn up to $750,000 to represent the city in investigations conducted by the US Attorney’s Office, the city Department of Investigation, the city Comptroller’s Office and “other entities” into the Rivington House scandal. The sale of the former nursing home for AIDS patients came under scrutiny after the city’s lifting of deed restrictions in 2015. That led to a land deal, which netted the buyer a $72 million windfall when it flipped the building. De Blasio and his aides are under the microscope for that deal, as well as for the fundraising practices of his campaign and the non-profit Campaign for One New York. Opponents were quick to attack the fees. One shows how the city Law Department agreed to pay lawyer Paul Bergman $450 an hour to represent “a New York City employee who has been or may be subpoenaed” in the federal probe. The total contract is worth up to $99,000 and does not specify a client’s name, but does refer to the John Doe Investigation, Law Dept. Matter No. 2016-013018, a reference to the federal probe into whether Team de Blasio exchanged favors for campaign cash. Other legal hires include the Cunningham Levy firm, which can expect $550 an hour for partners and up to $200,000 total; Carter Ledyard & Milburn, which will get up to $750 an hour and $750,000 total; and Lankler Siffert & Wohl, which will get up to $250,000 for representing a city employee who may give testimony or provide documents to a grand jury. Legal bills to cover de Blasio’s defense for a separate probe into efforts to back state senate candidates are being picked up by his political operation, a City Hall spokesman said. But de Blasio’s campaign declined to respond.* Taxpayers to pay up to $11.65M for legal defense of deBlasio administration in probe of fund-raising practices (NYDN) de Blasio’s 2013 campaign is covering the costs for Ross Offinger, the committee’s treasurer. That’s legal since he’s held no City Hall office; the City Charter forbids using campaign cash for the other aides’ lawyers. That said, the mayor could tap any remaining Campaign for One New York funds for these bills: That wouldn’t even risk an appearance of impropriety, since CONY’s closing down.

Both WNBC and Daily News Spin for the Mayor
Real Estate Owns the Media

Lawyers representing de Blasio call for sit-down withU.S. Attorney Preet Bharara over fund-raising probe (NYDN) Lawyers for Mayor de Blasio have asked the Manhattan U.S. Attorney for a sit-down to discuss the feds’ ongoing probe of the mayor’s fundraising tactics, the Daily News has learned. It’s not clear when that meeting will take place, but this type of request from attorneys for subjects of investigations is quite common. WNBC-TV reported the mayor himself has agreed to answer questions without the protection of immunity because he believes he can convince them he was not involved in any quid pro quo with his donors. A rep for the mayor did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There are now two sets of lawyers — taxpayer-funded and campaign-funded — defending the mayor and his aides in ongoing probes by Bharara and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. In addition, de Blasio’s 2013 campaign has spent $283,748 since July on three other firms to defend the mayor and his campaign in the federal and state probes. A third investigation by the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics is looking at whether donations to Campaign for One New York broke campaign finance laws.

Cuomo Using Tax Payer Funded Lawyers Also, But Only Using 10% of Gov$ That the Mayor is Spending

By contrast, the state comptroller in December approved a $950,000 contract for outside legal services for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo related to a federal investigation into the Buffalo Billion project and the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute.* Cuomo defense against federal probe cost taxpayers $650K (NYP) * Your bill for the Cuomo-de Blasio legal teams (NYP) Cuomo, on the other hand, faces no legal impediment to using his campaign funds to cover his own teams’ lawyers’ bills. Last year, the public paid $643,000 of an approved $950,000 contract with firm Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello to represent Cuomo and his staff in US Attorney Preet Bharara’s corruption investigation. Cuomo’s campaign kitty reported $21.9 million cash on hand as of Jan. 15. To be fair, the governor wants state law changed to prevent the use of campaign cash for legal defenses, so he’s arguably being consistent here. On the other hand, he recently vetoed legislation to have the state pay poor defendants’ legal fees.