Opinion

Brooklyn beep’s serial trips

What color is the sky on Planet Marko witz?

That would be Marty Markowitz — Brooklyn’s clownish beep and just maybe a mayoral candidate, too.

Yesterday, he got socked with a hefty fine — $20,000 — by the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board for accepting free travel for his wife on three foreign trips.

Yet he’s moaning that he’s the victim, terming the fine “an outrage.”

After all, Markowitz told the board, she’s not just his wife, she’s “the first lady of Brooklyn.” You know, just like Michelle Obama or Jackie Kennedy.

What world does he live in?

As Administrative Law Judge Kevin Casey rightly noted: “There is simply no meaningful comparison between the role of the first lady of the United States and the first lady of Brooklyn.”

As if that even had to be stated.

But Markowiz insists that “when you are in a foreign country, they look upon the job [of borough president] a little differently. They see me as chief executive officer of the city of Brooklyn.”

Of course, the “city of Brooklyn” hasn’t existed since 1898, which makes one wonder why the governments of

Turkey and Holland — which spon-

sored the trips — invited Markowitz to

drop by in the first place.

Obviously, they had no idea just what a meaningless position borough president actually is — and Markowitz was in no hurry to enlighten them.

The visits had been deemed “official business” by the board, which meant that he could travel for free and could even take his wife — as long as the sponsors didn’t pick up her tab, too.

But Markowitz insists his wife was a vital accessory: “They expect your wife to be with you, and you meet up with other husbands and wives. It’s sort of like good work for New York.”

And good work, he figures, has its perks — like free travel, hotel and food for the wife.

Actually, this isn’t Markowitz’s first run-in with the board: Just a few months ago, he was slapped with a $2,000 fine for using his chief of staff as his personal lawyer to close on a new home.

So let’s just say that cutting ethical corners seems to be Markowitz’s MO.

As for his latest problem, “some people get in trouble when they don’t take their wives,” he groused. “I’m getting in trouble because I took my wife.”

Actually, Marty Markowitz seems to get into trouble every time he opens his mouth.