Metro

New state senator fattens up on pork for home district

ALBANY — There’s no stopping the pork in this town.

Despite rules supposedly banishing “member items,” discretionary funds are still flowing into home districts of rank-and-file members who play their political cards right.

The most recent allocation went to the newest member of the Independent Democratic Conference, state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Queens).

He collected $600,000 for a senior center and MTA bus study and made no bones about the fact the money came in after he joined the IDC, which shares power with the GOP to run the state Senate.

“It is better to be relevant,” Avella told The Post.

An IDC spokesman said there was no political quid-pro-quo, noting nearly half the budget requests made by Senate Democrats, the minority conference, were granted.

Government watchdog Bill Mahoney of NYPIRG said: “The reality is if you are friendly with people who rule the chambers, you are going to see a lot more money going toward causes you want.”