Fidler tix troubles
All the dramatic rhetoric generated by members of the City Council about out-of-control ticketing by city agencies isn’t just an abstraction any more for City Councilmember Lewis Fidler, who himself got hit by a ticket issued by an overzealous public servant.
Fidler got a $130 summons after he left his car double-parked on Flatlands Avenue a couple of Sundays ago, when he attended the annual holiday lighting extravaganza at former Assemblymember Frank Seddio’s house.
Not only that, he told members of the United Canarsie South Civic Association during their December meeting, but so did the drivers of all the other cars double-parked near an auxiliary police vehicle in a lane that had been closed off because of the event.
“It’s not necessary that, every time you breathe, you are ticketed,” remarked Fidler. “They probably fined people $2,500 in total for the privilege of coming and participating in this when they had the lane of traffic blocked off anyway,” Fidler opined, noting that ticketing of cars of people at the event had never occurred before.
“Merry Christmas,” he concluded.
While it was unclear why cars parked in a blocked off lane were ticketed, police sources said that Fidler’s car was a half a block away from Seddio’s house. His car was also reportedly blocking in a woman trying to leave, sources said.
Working hard for the money
Take heed folks, New York State may be out of cash, but our elected officials are up in there in Albany “two or three days a week trying to get rid of the deficit.”
At least that’s the word coming from Assemblymember Peter Abbate.
Abbate warned Community Board 11 last week that while legislators have been successful in maintaining funding for education this year, classrooms should expect more pain ahead.
“Next year education is probably going to get a hit,” Abbate conceded.
The New York State Assembly fixture then took a swipe at the city’s handling of children’s education saying “there are more teachers than ever before, but class size has not come down.”
‘Amigos’ call on Sampson to crush Monserrate probe
If a committee’s been formed to determine the ouster of Queens State Senator Hiram Monserrate, then there should be one for Flatbush State Senator Kevin Parker.
So demands longtime Monserrate “amigo” Sen. Ruben Diaz, who last week penned a letter to Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson (D-Canarsie), encouraging him to quash the committee recently formed to investigate Monserrate’s misdemeanor conviction.
Just last week, Monserrate managed to avoid prison by being sentenced to three years probation and community service for beating his former girlfriend. Although the trial is over, he faces a true jury of his peers — the Senate committee that will determine if he should be bounced from the chamber.
In his letter, which was also sent to Minority Leader Dean Skelos, Diaz said he questioned Sampson’s “initiative in creating a committee to investigate Senator Hiram Monserrate when you have not done the same for Senator Kevin Parker.”
“As you know, Senator Kevin Parker has also been convicted of a misdemeanor assault against a NYC Parking Violations employee and is awaiting disposition of a SECOND assault charge against a New York Post reporter. Senator Parker was ordered to take anger management classes after the first assault. He is trying to plea bargain the second assault to another misdemeanor.”
Diaz then went on to quote Bensonhurst State Senator Diane Savino, who sits on the committee, when she said that “the standard we are looking at has nothing to do whatsoever with the sentencing. It has to do with whether [Monserrate] is fit or unfit to serve”.
“What about Senator Kevin Parker?” Diaz asked. “[He] assaulted the PVB employee and the New York Post reporter while being a member of the New York State Senate. Senator Monserrate was arrested for an incident that occurred prior to joining the New York State Senate. For this reason, there are some that question the Senate’s jurisdiction over Senator Monserrate.”
“It seems to me that if you compare Senator Monserrate’s incident vs. Senator Parker’s two assault charges, Senator Monserrate looks much better to serve than Senator Parker,” Diaz added. “Unless there is a hidden agenda to get even with Senator Monserrate for his participation in the Senate coup this past summer, there is no justification for convening this committee while ignoring the actions of a Senator with two assault cases under his belt.”
But Diaz’s logic is a bit flawed, especially since Parker has never been convicted of a misdemeanor.
Insiders said that the first assault charges against Parker were dropped after he agreed to take anger management classes. The second assault has yet to be adjudicated, although something should be hammered out in the next few weeks.
And Parker has been accused of assaulting a Post photographer, not a reporter. Get it right, Ruben.
According to published reports, Diaz’s letter was just one salvo in their ongoing push to get Sampson to shut down the upcoming tribunal.
The four amigos, which includes Mill Basin State Senator Carl Kruger, have repeatedly met with Sampson to discuss the issue, officials said.
Moving on
At last week’s MTA and city Department of Transportation (DOT) meeting about upcoming changes to the B44 bus route, City Councilmember Letitia James expressed concern about bike lanes possibly being removed as part of the project — until she found out that it probably won’t affect her neighborhoods.
When told that DOT is looking at bike lanes in northern Brooklyn, James quickly responded, “Oh, that’s not in my district.”
Happy Birthday, Steve Levin!
Councilmember elect Steve Levin (D-33rd District) celebrated his 29th birthday the way any regular twenty-something guy would mark the last year in his twenties. With a jam-packed stately inauguration ceremony at Borough Hall commemorating his entry into New York City Council.
Borough President Marty Markowitz, City Comptroller Billy Thompson, Councilmember David Yassky (D-Williamsburg, UJO Executive Director Rabbi David Niederman, Assemblymember Vito Lopez (D-Williamsburg) and nearly three hundred members of his district all eager to congratulate him and unofficially welcome him to the City Council. The ceremonial program thanked Assemblymember Lopez, Levin’s former boss, “for making this all possible,” first, then his family, friends and colleagues.
Levin will be officially inaugurated after the new year, but couldn’t wait to get things started.
The event featured a large cake with “Happy Birthday Steve Levin!” written in blue frosting, tons of delicious kosher sandwiches and finger food, as well as an open bar (at least that’s what we were told, since the press wasn’t invited).
Please silence your
Blackberry
Note to government officials: When trying to at least feign interest in participatory democracy, shut off your Blackberry.
Critics of the plan to erect luxury condos inside Brooklyn Bridge Park would probably have more confidence that Parks Department officials are taking their concerns seriously this week had Commissioner Adrian Benepe not been caught “Blackberry-ing” while being addressed during a public forum at LICH on Monday night.
“It would be great if you weren’t Blackberrying when I’m talking to you,” sniped one angry resident who had risen to question Benepe and two other city officials about features of the Brooklyn Bridge Park plan.
“Yeah, I’m listening to you,” a sheepish Benepe tried.
The Parks Commissioner knew he was addressing a packed house of passionate park advocates at the outset of the meeting, commenting that it was “like being in the Globe Theater.”
Alas, while many may have left the meeting feeling there might be something rotten in the borough of Brooklyn, Benepe and his associates did manage to escape relatively unscathed – or as one critic reminded him, “At least they didn’t throw a shoe at you.”
Bruno conviction brings call for ethics reform
A Downtown Brooklyn lawmaker renewed his call for reform in state government following the corruption felony convictions of former senate majority leader Joe Bruno.
Bruno, 80, was convicted of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in private consulting fees from a businessman with interests before the state senate.
Freshman State Sen. Daniel Squadron, who has introduced legislation to institute ethics reform in state government, said the conviction shows again that the state needs to strengthen its laws that oversee governmental ethics.
“We are pushing to pass comprehensive ethics reform now, so we can give New Yorkers reason to have a renewed faith in our state government,” said Squadron.
“The federal courts should not be the only venue that addresses accusations of wrongdoing; we must fill the “Bruno Gap” in our state laws,” he added.
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