The case of the governor's ethics chair and her housekeeper
Briefing: Janet DiFiore. Drum Major Institute via flickr
8:59 am May. 29, 20123
Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore, a Democrat, is accused of improperly helping her live-in housekeeper get food stamps and welfare benefits, according to Chuck Bennett's story in the Post today.
The story is based on findings of a county "anti-fraud investigator" Dhyalma Vazquez, who is active in the Independence Party. Vazquez declined to comment to the Post reporter, but was less reserved in her emails to the Westchester social services commissioner: "This was a political favor for Janet DiFiore's maid. It is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE." Also: "Just because she is the District Attorney does not mean she is above the law!"
DiFiore also has another job, as chair of the Joint Committee on Public Ethics, which is charged with investigating potential wrongdoing by state lawmakers.
When Governor Andrew Cuomo announced her appointment in December 2011, he said, "I am confident that under the leadership of Chair DiFiore and the other board members, the Commission will be the toughest ethics enforcer in our state's history."
DiFiore's spokesman didn't comment to the Post on the substance of the accusation.
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Events
Andrew Cuomo is in New York City with no public schedule.
2:30 p.m. Michael Bloomberg, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott and State Senator Stephen Saland make an education announcement at Gracie Mansion.
7 p.m. Bloomberg attends a party for Tom Doctoroff, author of "What Chinese Want" at 466 Lexington Avenue.
7:30 p.m. Bloomberg speaks at the Hudson River Park Spring Gala at Pier 26.
2012
Today, Mitt Romney will officially clinch the Republican presidential nomination. [Philip Rucker]
Romney plans to campaign with Donald Trump, who still believes Obama was born in Kenya. [Charlie Spiering]
100 days till Barack Obama officially accepts the Democratic nomination at the convention in North Carolina. [Email from DNCC]
Syria is tricker than Libya, but Obama's lofty rhetoric at an event attended by Elie Wiesel leaves him few options. [Philip Gourevitch]
The Memorial Day lede: "Mitt Romney, the first presumptive Republican presidential nominee since World War II to have not served in the military…" [Michael Barbaro]
"Any company that helps pay for the ads run by the [United States Chamber of Commerce] ought to step up and disclose its contributions." [New York Times]
"The truth is that recovery would be almost ridiculously easy to achieve: all we need is to reverse the austerity policies of the past couple of years and temporarily boost spending." [Paul Krugman]
U.S. Senate candidate Wendy Long, on gay marriage: "I think the fact that it's become a big issue in a federal election is unfortunate because it's not something that federal legislators are supposed to be doing." [Inside City Hall]
NY-08
After hyping "big" news since Friday, Grace Meng's campaign tells The New York Times she's getting endorsed by retiring congressman Gary Ackerman. [David Chen]
Flashback: Ackerman hung out with Lancman right before revealing his intention to retire, and never shared his plans with him. [Reid Pillifant]
Flashback: The newspaper Ackerman founded still runs adult advertising, of the sort that Meng and others have denounced. [Mark Weidler]
NY-13
Rep. Charlie Rangel, "a proud and sensitive man," got donations from the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and from other House Democrats who have never contributed to him before. [Raymond Rivera]
2013
Numbers You Need to Know: "New York is creating jobs — but they’re not Wall Street jobs…Wall Street is still 13,900 jobs short of its 2007 peak … average wage earned in the city is 4.7 percent below the 2008 peak (adjusted for inflation). Meanwhile, City Hall spending is up 7.9 percent." [Nicole Gelinas]
"The candidates who want to succeed Mike Bloomberg have yet to articulate job-generating plans for New York City. We are waiting." [Steven Spinola]
Tom Allon: "The city is going to go backwards if any of them are mayor." [Inside City Hall]
Staten Island Borough President Jim Molinaro, who opposes gay marriage, went to Christine Quinn's wedding. Councilman Jimmy Oddo has no position on the issue. [Tom Wrobleski]
City Hall
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio filed an amicus brief in the lawsuit to block CIty Hall from issuing new taxi medallions. [No Link]
A Times columnist calls into question NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly's claim that tactics like stop-and-frisk have saved 5,600 lives. [Michael Powell]
"You'll get an answer if they have one," an NYPD spokesman said after I repeatedly asked them to explain how Kelly calculated that number. [Twitter]
The New York Public Library's plan to move some of its books to Princeton is made necessary in part by city funding cuts. [Robert Darnton]
The Upper East Side should do its part by dropping its long-running opposition to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to build a garbage facility at 91st Street. [New York Times]
Assemblyman William Colton of Brooklyn said he plans to sue the city and state to stop the construction of a waste-transfer station in his borough. [Rich Calder]
Former congressman Anthony Weiner has still not figured out what he's going to do professionally. [Josh Margolin]
Albany
The Westchester County district attorney, who also chairs the Joint Committee on Public Ethics, is accused of improperly helping her live-in housekeeper qualify for public aid. [Chuck Bennett]
A Republican plan to censor anonymous comments is denounced as an attack on free speech. [New York Post]
The Democratic Senate Campaign Committee is moving to a smaller, cheaper office. [Ken Lovett]
Housing
A co-op built by Donald Trump's father may kick out an Afghanistan War veteran who followed his doctor's orders and got a dog to help him cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. [Joseph Berger]
Front Pages
Andrew "Cesare" Cuomo is not going to be Happy as he read all about DA DiFlore.
It seems Crains is looking for a Business friendly Mayor to replace "The Prisoner of City Hall"
Well you need to call Donald Trump and beg him to RUN.
Donald is the only person who can succeed "The Prisoner of City Hall"
So I say to Crain's join me and say
Run Donald Run
Before there was the "Oracle of Delphi" there was Count Vampire J. Machiavelli
VJ Machiavelli
www.VJMachiavelli.blogspot.com
Power to the People who "VOTE"
"... This DA has made trips internationally on oficial business with her Chief Investigator and registered for conferences at taxpayer expense only to be no-shows at the actual conferences. Then adding to intrigue, two rooms reserved, one cancelled on arrival..."
I think everybody needs to be looked at and Dhyalma Vazquez is a good place to start since she's the one claiming to be outraged by politically biased appearances. Has she ever actually passed a civil service test for any job along her career path or is she where she is right now based strictly on political maneuvering?