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."
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 46.6
- 44.2
- Obama +2.4
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 55.8
- 35.8
- +20.0
- McCain
- 54.8
- 36.6
- +18.2
I know Quinn well-enough to see her MO written all over the Dadey flip-flop. Quinn has a habit of getting on the phone and yelling at those who "stray."
Of course Citizens Union is a right-wingish pro-corporate welfare group masquerading as a good-government group. That they are described as a watchdog group is laughable. Look at the type of people they endorse over the years. (Peter Vallone, Virginia Fields, Christopher Lynn, etc.)
Hey Dick,
Maybe you should check into the details a bit better before you show up at a press conference and put a quote in the Speaker's press release.
Dick is just a tool the Speaker uses when she needs a good government prop.
The fact is, this isn't a simple issue. RFP's arent apolitical and they are not always merit based. They have unelected anonymous bureacrats making decisions behind closed doors, with criteria that no one knows for communities that they have never been to and don't know. And do you think that maybe those decision makers might be influenced by the Mayor's office, who appointed them to their jobs? Ohh wait, maybe Dick can't say anything about that because the Mayor will call up his board members who will fire him.... Thats the way of the world, isn't it Dick? Except in the scenario you want to see at the Council...
Whats wrong with our democratically elected representatives making decisions for their districts with their names transparently listed next to the items? There is accountability there, you don't like it call the Council Member with the name next to the item.
If you don't like who an unelected anonymous bureaucrat chose through the RFP process, go call 311 and don't hold your breath on ever getting an answer. Or maybe you can try talking to that nice lady at the front desk in any city agency office that you go into and seeing if she can answer your question!
Thanks for giving us your version of good governement Dick! Maybe we should just get rid of the Council while we are at it. The Mayor can have his Deputy Mayors vote on the budget, and you can give a quote on how great this is for good government...
This is all too obvious. Quinn wants to be mayor and is getting all her ducks in a row by removing authority from the council: "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." She's just setting everything up for when she's mayor.
Speaker Quinn is finished thanks in large part to her incompetent and arrogant staff. Quinn staffers Maura Keany and Laura Popa have the worst reputations in City government and have hurt so many good people along the way and now Speaker Quinn is paying the price.
Laura Popa and Maura Meany might finally be prosecuted.
On the other hand Council Member Liu is receiving excellent advice from his attorney Philip Hom who, unlike Laura Popa, is a fine attorney and a decent human being and this shows in Council Member Liu's relationship with the general public.
The best kept secret in the City Council Central Staff is Andy Grossman. Grossman is an assistant director in the City Council's Finance division. His reputation for integrity and fairness is solid and he treats everyone with respect. Not coincidentally, he was NOT hired by Speaker Christine Quinn, but I believe he was hired by the previous Speakers either Gifford Miller or Peter Vallone. It is surprising that Quinn did not fire Grossman since she has a reputation of firing competent people for the relatives of political financial contributors.
Typical Dady. Just get in the picture and make sure they spell your name right. Yeah, you're quite a good government hack.
Dick Dadey is a joke and what little credibility he had is gone- he didn't understand the depth of his reform yet stood at a press conference- Nice job DICK!!
Andy Grossman is one of the nicest and competent guys in the council!!
What Dick meant to say after his comments were sent over to Quinn's office was...
Ohh I forgot to get my talking points from the Speaker before I spoke to you Azi. Now that I have them in front of me, let me tell you what the great good government groups... err I mean Speaker's office, errr I mean Citizen's Union feels about this issue...
Dick, get your dam story straight before you get interviewed. Its called Politics 101, guess they didn't teach you that in good government school.
Please read this article that came out in today's Village Voice. Tom Robbins, probably the best political reporter in the country, further exposes Speaker Christine Quinn's massive financial corruption:
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0816,the-big-slush-hush,411786,4.html
Quinn
KARMA is a good thing is it not. You supported the inhumane and corrupted horse drawn industry and try to eliminate the PEDICABS which is a good thing for the city. WHAT is not good is horses suffering and the public endangered for the greed of the few.
I strongly advice you support INTRO 658 to support the ban on Horse Drawn Carriage or you can be sure your political career has ended.
HOrse Drawn Carriage industry is inhumane and poses a public safety issues. It congests the MIDTOWN area and put the drivers and residents at risk. Not to mention the health issue of all the feces and urine smell. This is a bad image for the city and it huge LIABILITY. The city will be at fault when that one day someone actually dies and it will happen if you permit this travesty to continue.
in this year St Patrick Parade in Queen 4 persons were injured when a horse panic and bolted. these horses are 1800 pounds and they panic easily. These horses do not belong in NYC traffic. It is inhumane and unsafe. THE ASPCA supports the ban. So many people support the ban.
DO the right thing and you will gain back the support that you lose. Otherwise start sending out that resume
Dick Dadey is just another individual who wants nothing more than press coverage--- I agree with others in the blog who say that Quinn is playing up to the good government groups to get their support for mayor. Anybody who thinks that Chrisitne Quinn is apolitical and all about good government is sadly mistaken. Quinn is like Hillary Clinton--- as political and as calculating as an Enron accountant.
Azi,
Why don't you ask Dick Dadey if he thinks its good government for the Speaker to announce a major Council reform without consulting any members?
Because in my book, thats the way it goes in a dictatorship or banana republic, not in a true democracy.
Maybe Dick didn't think about that part of it either.