What on earth was Brooklyn DA Charles “Joe” Hynes thinking by appearing at Assemblyman Vito Lopez’s annual Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Center picnic this month — and vouching for the pol’s “ethical” bona fides?
Talk about unseemly.
Pols regularly flock to the event to kiss up to Lopez, a longtime Brooklyn political boss. On tap this year were ex-city Comptroller Billy Thompson, a mayoral wannabe; Assemblyman David Weprin, who’s running for Anthony Weiner’s House seat; Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who has his own aspirations, and others.
With such luminaries on hand, it’s easy to forget that Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council (which Lopez founded some 40 years ago and has been linked to since) is under federal investigation.
Over the years, the nonprofit has benefited from millions in taxpayer funds via state and city contracts, member items from Lopez personally, as well as City Council earmarks directed by Lopez cronies, many of whom attended the picnic.
The earmarks helped cover six-figure salaries for Lopez’s girlfriend and his campaign treasurer, who together run the senior-citizens council.
So what was Hynes doing there?
Trying to help whitewash Lopez, it seems: “I have convicted more politicians than any other district attorney in this state’s history, and I know the difference between a crook and others,” Hynes said. “So Vito is a good guy.”
Huh? It’s one thing for folks like Thompson, Weprin and Diaz to turn a blind eye to the Lopez taint and attend the picnic.
But Hynes is a DA — someone who’s supposed to uphold high ethical standards.
Not praise potential G-men targets.
True, Lopez hasn’t been charged with anything — yet. But the stench from his Ridgewood operation is overwhelming.
Meanwhile, as The Post’s David Seifman reported Friday, Ridgewood Bushwick was rated so bad by the city (it was among the 20 worst, of 440 Department of Aging vendors) that it won’t be allowed to bid on contracts to run 10 new senior centers.
So much for the claim that it’s a top flight operation with essential, one-of-a-kind, quality service for seniors.
Even if it were, of course, for a sitting DA to praise a pol as dubious as Lopez is just mind-boggling. Hynes should know better.