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April 6, 2007
Ratnerville in Yonkers
For those of you who can't get enough of the political controversy brewing in Yonkers around Bruce Ratner's Ridge Hill project, here are yesterday's headlines from The Journal-News.
BACKGROUND: Nick Spano's brother Mike Spano was working for the lobbying group of Patricia Lynch and Associates, who were lobbying for Bruce Ratner.
Nick Spano landed a well paying job for Zehy Jereis, who is the cousin of Councilmember Sandy Annabi, who reversed her vote on Ridge Hill, giving the Ratner project the votes it needs for approval. Forest City Ratner has asserted that everything was done "properly and legally."
Editorial, A Yonkers hiring plan that only the politically connected could love
Must all recipients of the taxpayer largess employ a family member, or will close friends do?
...
Plenty more still needs to be done in Albany before "historic agreement" on member-item reform also means ensuring the best, fairest and most sensible deal for taxpayers. The more taxpayers learn of ongoing practices, the clearer that becomes.
Grant arranged by Spano names Yonkers GOP chief
A state grant arranged by then-state Sen. Nicholas Spano specified in writing that the Yonkers Republican chairman receive a $100,000 consulting contract with the city's Chamber of Commerce.
Though Spano was ousted by voters last year, he has a bright future as a blogger, who, unlike mainstream reporters, is unencumbered by basic grammar, style or spelling:
Spano did not respond to repeated requests for an interview yesterday, but wrote in an e-mail to The Journal News: "I have continuosly (sic) secured grants for the yonkers chamber of commerce for years. Once an appropiation (sic) is made the contract is written and approved by the chamber and the agency it is assigned too (sic)."
Posted by lumi at April 6, 2007 8:20 AM