Shady Seabrook can hand out 350G 

According to Speaker Quinn

 

   This one comes from the The New York Post about  how Bronx Councilman Larry Seabrook will be allowed to distribute more than $350,000.00 in member items despite being still under federal indictment for misusing such monies. The Post says that City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (a mayoral candidate in 2013) will allow Seabrook to allocate the monies, because "there is now a strict system in place that would root out irregularities long beforeany government monies were misspent". 

   The story goes on to detail the process, and tell of what Councilman Seabrook is accused of doing, while saying that Seabrook gave out $362,000.00 in council  funding last year before he went to trial. Council officials claim that the local elected officials know their districts better than anyone else, and should be the ones to distribute any discretionary finding.
   Dick Dadey director of the Citizens Union recommends keeping Seabrook as far away from council monies, and praises the council for the new procedures of accountability. 

   Mayor Bloomberg says that Seabrooks fate rests with the court system.

   

 

Klein and IDC Look For Bigger Gains in 2012

   The timesunion.com has a very interesting article here  about senators Jeff Klein (Bronx Westchester), Diane Savino (Staten Island), David Carlucci (Rockland County), and David Valesky (Onondaga County), and what they accomplished after forming the Independent Democratic Conference. 

   Senator Klien is quoted as saying "I think we were wildly successful. We showed that you could govern in a bipartisan fashion. You can get things done even if you're a minority legislator."

   The story continues to say that of the 68 bills the IDC got passed in the State Senate 32 were signed into law, and that 21 policy reports recommending savings of millions dollars were given. 

   The fine line on how the IDC gets along with both Republicans and Democrats is discussed, and the entire story makes interesting reading. You make see the IDC in a whole new way. Could this group be the next big thing in politics?