What you do and what you see [rquoter]Buildings sprang up as donations rained down on Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion BY BENJAMIN LESSER AND GREG B. SMITH DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS Updated Sunday, March 1st 2009, 1:35 PM The man who is President Obama's newly minted urban czar pocketed thousands of dollars in campaign cash from city developers whose projects he approved or funded with taxpayers' money, a Daily News probe found. Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion often received contributions just before or after he sponsored money for projects or approved important zoning changes, records show. Most donations were organized and well-timed. In one case, a developer became a Carrion fund-raiser two months before the borough president signed off on his project, raising more than $6,000 in campaign cash. In another, eight Boricua College officials came up with $8,000 on the same day for Carrion three weeks before the school filed plans to build a new tower. Carrion ultimately approved the project and sponsored millions in taxpayer funds for it. Carrion resigned as borough president effective Sunday and begins his new job as director of the White House Office on Urban Policy Monday. Saturday Carrion declined to answer written questions about his receipt of timely campaign contributions. Instead, he issued a terse statement: "Thousands of people who share the Borough President's vision for building a stronger Bronx and a stronger city have contributed to Carrion NYC. Teachers, parents, police officers, firefighters, members of the business community and concerned citizens have all contributed to the borough president's efforts to strengthen the Bronx and stimulate the local economy and he is proud to have such wide-ranging support." Here's a look at some of his donors: IDLE LLC Last year Jonathan Coren and a partner wanted to build 166 units of affordable housing in Parkchester. Coren, for the first time in his life, became a registered fund-raiser - for Carrion. He raised $2,577 from multiple donors in the three weeks before Carrion approved the project on March 26. On a single day - April 12 - he raised another $1,255, less than a month before the Planning Commission, which includes a Carrion appointee, approved Idle LLC's project. Coren raised $6,532 for Carrion from 43 donors. The developers are awaiting funding from the city. Asked about the purpose of fund-raising for Carrion just before he reviewed the project, Coren replied, "None, other than, to be perfectly honest with you, at that time I became aware of his campaign. It is what it is." Coren says he never spoke "directly" with Carrion about campaign donations. BORICUA VILLAGE A top source for Carrion's campaign cash comes from a publicly funded project to build 679 units of housing and a 14-story college tower in Melrose. Top officials at the Atlantic Development Group, the project's developer, and Boricua College contributed nearly $70,000 to Carrion during the time the project, called Boricua Village, moved through the system. Atlantic needed Carrion and his planning commission rep to approve zoning changes and lift height restrictions for the tower. The first application for the project was filed March 28, 2006. Less than a month later, Carrion got eight donations on the same day for $8,750, records show. They all came from Boricua College administrators, including a $4,000 check from President Victor Alicea. Alicea has been a fund-raiser for Carrion. On March 26, 2007, Carrion approved the application. The grand total for Boricua donations was $17,512, while Atlantic owner Peter Fine and his employees came up with $52,400 - the largest single source of donations for Carrion. In July, Carrion announced he was sponsoring $3 million in taxpayer funds for the project. Records show he has since sponsored another $4.5 million for the college part of the project. Alicea insisted all Boricua donations came from "individuals," not the college. "We're very careful about anything that could be construed as a tradeoff or a quid pro quo." A spokesman for Atlantic said Fine believes Carrion "is an outstanding public servant, and for that reason alone is happy to give financial support to his political endeavors." JACKSON DEVELOPMENT GROUP In 2004, a real estate group moved to build affordable housing on the site of an old Mott Haven brewery on St. Ann's Ave. The project stalled. In April 2007, dozens of employees of Jackson Development Group started donating to Carrion. There were 23 contributions in two months, including $1,000 from a construction worker. By November 2007, 41 donations from Jackson employees to Carrion totaled $35,650. In May 2008, Carrion approved the project. Two months later, he announced he was sponsoring $3 million in taxpayer funds for the project. Jackson did not return a call seeking comment. TRI-LINE CONTRACTING One of Carrion's largest donors and fund-raisers is Jose Velazquez, owner of Tri-Line Contracting Inc. of Manhattan. Between his employees and developers and other donors, he has raised $83,700 for Carrion. Tri-Line is working at two of the biggest developments Carrion has championed, including the new Yankee Stadium. Carrion signed off on it in 2005 with the caveat that the Yanks hire a big percentage of local contractors and workers. One of the contractors was Tri-Line, which is building a conference center and museum in the stadium. Velazquez said he raised money for Carrion because he supported him as a fellow Hispanic and felt that "this is the guy to lead this city." Carrion "has never ever equated raising money with giving us work," Velazquez said, adding that Carrion did not help get him the stadium job. GATEWAY Tri-Line is also building a Staples store in a new mall a block from the stadium called Gateway at Bronx Terminal Market. Velazquez said he got the job through competitive bidding. Developer Related Companies' subsidiary, BTM Development Partners, needed Carrion and the city Planning Commission to change zoning, modify height restrictions and approve permits for parking spaces. As the project moved forward, the neighborhood railed about increased traffic and the impact the chain stores would have on local businesses. All the while Related executives wrote campaign checks to Carrion. On March 10, 2005, five $1,000 donations from Related executives arrived. On June 20, 2005, the company notified the city it planned to build a 1 million-square-foot retail center with 2,610 parking spaces and a 250-room hotel. On Oct. 19, 2005, Carrion approved the project, with his office monitoring local hiring. Since 2003, Carrion has received $39,100 from 24 Gateway-related donations. Related declined to answer questions. THE ADER GROUP In March 2008, Carrion sponsored $1 million in public funds for the Ader Group's plan to build 177 low-income rental units. On June 17, owner Israel Neiman gave Carrion $4,950, a donation Neiman said was "just coincidental." Neiman said the taxpayer money has not been spent and the project is on hold due to the collapse of the economy.[/rquoter]
more on Carrion: http://gothamist.com/2009/03/10/carrion_approved_big_city_project_t.php [rquoter]Carrion Approved Big City Project For His Personal Architect The Daily News has been investigating former Bronx Borough President and new director of White House urban policy Adolfo Carrion Jr.'s dealings with developers lately. Today, the News wonders whether there's a connection between the renovation work architect Hugo Subotovsky did on Carrion's City Island home and Carrion's approval of a huge taxpayer-subsidized development—designed by Subotovsky— in the Bronx. At the time of his home renovation (basically installing a balcony onto the second floor), the News reports, "Carrión had at least $15,000 in credit card debt, was paying off two mortgages worth more than $500,000 and had $5,000 in revolving credit from Chase bank." Carrion hasn't revealed how much the renovation cost and declined to show the News copies of the checks used to pay for the work, leading the News to remind us, if it was an unreported gift, it "could be seen as Carrión using his position to benefit himself financially, a violation of the law. It could also be unreported income."[/rquoter] i think it's safe to say this is the most ethically challenged group of new admin nominees in history.
Carrion Admits He Didn't Pay Architect [rquoter] Yesterday, Daily News noted that former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr.—now the White House's director of urban policy—approved a big city project designed by an architect who had just finished a renovation project on Carrion's own home back in 2007. After initially not telling the News how much he paid for the project or responding to the paper's request for cancelled checks, now the News gets a response: "Carrion admitted he hadn't paid architect Hugo Subotovsky to design a porch and balcony for his City Island home." Carrion adds that the final bill will end up being $3,627.50 for Subotovsky's 51.5 hours of work (just $71/hour) and claimed no bill was paid because he's waiting for the "final survey" to be "filed and approved...as is [the architect's] practice for projects of this kind." Hmm, that's interesting—one would think an architect would get on that immediately to, you know, get paid.[/rquoter]
it's got legs. [rquoter]Bronx DA's Office Investigates Carrion Home Renovation Bronx prosecutors are investigating a renovation project at the home of former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. after the Daily News revealed he approved a big city project designed by the same architect. Carrion, now White House urban policy director, admitted to the News that he didn't pay architect Hugo Subotovsky for designing a porch and balcony on his City Island home, claiming that he's waiting for Subotovsky to complete a final survey of the long-completed project (Carrion told the Times it was his fault he hadn't requested the survey). The White House said they expected the survey would be done soon and that the bill—$3,627.50 for 51 hours of work—would be paid shortly. The project Subotovsky was involved with was Boricua Village, "one of the largest and most ambitious development initiatives in the South Bronx." The Times points out, "Mr. Carrión’s support of the zoning change for the housing project was not vital — borough presidents offer only advisory opinions and cannot kill proposals. But officials further down the review process, including the City Planning Commission and the City Council, take into account the views of borough presidents in making their decisions."[/rquoter] Perhaps the great vetting disaster explains the Presidential Crisis of Confidence.
it's not going away. [rquoter]Developer's Office Raided By Investigators The NYPD and Department of Investigation raided the downtown offices of a developer who, the Daily News reports, "funneled thousands in campaign cash to local politicians, including White House aide Adolfo Carrión." A van full of boxes of files was taken from the Atlantic Development Group and the Post says "investigators were looking into such alleged bribery tactics as using expediters to pay off city officials to move projects along, or bribing construction companies to use nonunion, cheaper labor." ADG is behind the "ambitious" Boricua Village development in the Bronx; the project came under the spotlight when the Daily News drew attention to the fact that the project's architect did design work for former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion—but Carrion never paid him.[/rquoter]
It's so funny that this thread has been going since 3/2, and only Basso has posted in it. It's a shame to break the streak, but how else can I comment on it. Anyway, things don't look good for him. However, I don't think it means much for Obama other than that he shouldn't have talked up his vetting process so much.
This is obviously earth shattering news sure to change the outcome of the presidential election. This should shove that torture kerfluffle right off the front pages and national news headlines. Good thing basso is all over it.
You suck mc mark - this thread was much funnier when it was just basso posting to himself every few weeks about something that evidently nobody cared about. It wa a monument to his M.O. - posting articles with one-liners that were either false or misleading, but otherwise contributing nothing, and generally being loudly irrelevant - all under the delusion of materiality. Now you ruined it - hang your head in shame.
This probably belongs in another thread, but has there been any consideration of allowing negative rep points? Can you take back rep points you've already given? For instance, say, um, I don't know, just off the top of my head... mc mark?
