Report: Spreadsheet Suggests De Blasio Gave Board Appointments To Donors
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There were stunning new revelations Tuesday night about how Mayor Bill de Blasio chose people to get VIP appointments to prestigious boards and positions.
As CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported, the details were laid out in the mayor's own internal spreadsheets.
De Blasio pledged to get money out of politics during his 2013 mayoral campaign. But published reports revealed that in picking people for some 600 positions on various boards and commissions, the slogan of the de Blasio administration appeared to be, "If you gave, you got," Kramer reported.
"It's an indication of the pay-to-play culture that seems to pervade in City Hall right now," said Dick Dadey of the good government group the Citizens Union.
The New York Daily News reported it obtained a copy of an internal spreadsheet maintained by team de Blasio in which, the paper said, donors, power brokers, and even lobbyists who were actively lobbying the administration were considered for positions.
What's more, confidential notes described the people "with us early on," "did a lot," "real deal," and "showed up early."
Kramer asked Dadey if the revelations leave the impression that the city is for sale.
"With all that we see happening at City Hall – and this one new scandal just adds to this perception that that somehow our city is for sale, that if you are a campaign contributor, you will have not only just access, but you will be able to have the outcome that you want," Dadey said. "And whether that's perception or reality will be left to the prosecutors to decide."
Speaking of prosecutors, Kramer ran into Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. Thursday. Vance has been investigating how the mayor allegedly raided money for his 2013 mayoral campaign, and whether the mayor circumvented campaign finance limits in his unsuccessful attempt to defeat Republicans in the New York State Senate in 2014.
"I don't have any reaction, Marcia. I read the paper like you did," Vance said. "I really have on response of substance, but I understand why you're asking. I appreciate your inquiry. And I'll be back, I'm sure."
A spokesman for the mayor said: "The Mayor has appointed more than 600 people to boards based on their qualifications and backgrounds to help advance the city's agenda. That includes New Yorkers he has known and worked with for years."
But when CBS2's Kramer asked for a list of the 600 who got appointments, Kramer was told: "Sorry, but I don't have a list of every appointment."
The list is important because, good government groups say, prosecutors should go over it to determine if there are potential conflicts of interest.
The spreadsheet reportedly shows that Ross Offinger and Emma Wolfe, two de Blasio staffers, made some of the appointment recommendations. Both have received subpoenas in the probe.
