Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is cashing in big-time by being a favorite of Mayor Bloomberg.
Since 2003, the Bloomberg administration has handed out at least $2.7 million in taxpayer cash to three nonprofit groups Markowitz set up to fund “free” concerts and other pet projects, a Post investigation has found.
The programs funded have been instrumental in boosting Markowitz’s popularity and helping him get re-elected, critics charge.
Democrat Markowitz, in turn, has been a huge supporter of Bloomberg, a Republican-turned-independent.
He’s campaigned hard for Bloomberg, calling on his own strong central Brooklyn constituency to back the mayor, political pundits say. And he’s backed just about every Bloomberg development project for Brooklyn.
Dick Dadey, executive director of the government watchdog group Citizens Union, said the matter deserves scrutiny from the city Comptroller’s Office or Department of Investigation.
“It doesn’t smell right that he’s getting so much city funds for nonprofits serving his interest,” Dadey said. “Why does it have to be Marty’s nonprofits that get the money to send kids to camp or promote Brooklyn, when there are so many other qualified independent nonprofits?”
None of the city’s other borough presidents have come close to receiving as much City Hall support as Markowitz. In fact, the nonprofits they’ve set up are minuscule in comparison.
A Bloomberg spokesman denied that the city’s generosity had anything to do with boosting Markowitz’s voter-approval rating, but declined further comment.
Markowitz has said he would seek a third term if the City Council supports Bloomberg’s plan to revise term limits. If not, he’s expressed an interest in running for mayor, because Bloomberg would be ineligible.
While political candidates face strict limits on how much they can receive in campaign funding from donors, a loophole in the law allows donors to be as generous as they want for a politician’s pet projects.
Since 2003, Markowitz’s nonprofits have received between $3,323,424 and $5,644,124 in taxpayer funds from government agencies, according to city Conflicts of Interest Board records.
This includes $2,778,700 to $4,809,400 from the city (including Markowitz’s own office), and $544,724 to $834,724 from the state.
The Post calculated the totals by adding up all the contributions — some of which were listed in actual dollar amounts, while others were more vague and listed in contribution ranges.
Of the city funds, at least $322,500 was delivered directly from the borough president’s own budget to his nonprofits.
The news comes a month after Markowitz came under fire from the city Comptroller’s Office for directly awarding $680,496 in no-bid city contracts to one of his nonprofits, Best of Brooklyn Inc.
Markowitz defended the nonprofits, saying they pass legal muster and “the people who benefit from these programs are the families of Brooklyn.”
The beep also is cashing in from the private sector.
The Post reported Friday that Nets owner Bruce Ratner and others involved in the controversial $4 billion plan to build an NBA arena and 16 apartment and office towers in Brooklyn donated between $680,000 and $1,075,000 to Markowitz’s nonprofits since 2003. The beep is considered the project’s greatest cheerleader.
Markowitz, who helped convince the city to open a cruise ship terminal in Red Hook, also saw his nonprofits get at least $170,000 in donations from the cruise-ship industry. The nonprofits’ other private sector donations include $25,000 to $100,000 from the Brooklyn Cyclones, a minor league affiliate of the Mets.