A Quinn Supporter Strays Briefly, Returns

So, many City Council members have strong feelings about the reforms Christine Quinn proposed last week, particularly about the notion that they would lose the ability to fund specific groups through member items. Those groups would instead have to go through a R.F.P. process and be approved by various departments that are administrated by the mayor's side of City Hall.

Among those who stood with Quinn when she unveiled the proposal on Friday was Dick Dadey, executive director of the Citizens Union watchdog group. Today, in an interview with me, Dadey seemed to qualify his support for the part of the plan that the Council members have objected to.

"I didn't fully understand, or didn't know, the specificity of the reforms that Speaker Quinn had intended," Dadey said. "I am concerned that--in better understanding it now--I am concerned that the Council is giving up, unnecessarily, authority to the mayor in trying to bring reform to the process."

After Dadey's comments were forwarded to Quinn's office for comment, Dadey called me to clarify.

"What I didn't fully grasp is, having the mayor's Office of Contract involved makes [the process] more apolitical and merit-based," he said.

Dadey added, "What I'm trying to do is get up to fully up to speed on all of this," and that "overall, the direction of where this is going is very good."