Following our initial investigation of NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams’ $1,393 car service expense, newly obtained records reveal an even more startling picture of public spending: The total bill for what appears to be a campaign speech masquerading as a State of the City address on March 13, 2024 – a staggering $29,541.06 of taxpayer […]
NYC Taxpayers Fund Speaker Adams’ $30K Theater Production Read More »
CorruptionHow NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams Bought, Paid For, and Kept Control In New York City politics, where coincidences are as rare as an empty parking spot in Manhattan, sometimes a pattern emerges that’s so precise it makes Swiss watchmakers look sloppy. This is a story about political power, perfectly calculated gratitude, and the remarkable
Pay-to-Play Politics: How NYC’s Speaker Bought Power Read More »
CorruptionAlbany’s Crime Numbers Game Through October 2024, Governor Hochul freely pushed her narrative of declining crime across New York State – conveniently excluding New York City’s numbers, which weren’t available on the state’s website. Then in early November 2024, months after they should have been released, the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
Cooking New York’s Crime Books Read More »
CorruptionHow Manhattan’s Community Boards Shield Public Spending from View Your tax dollars are disappearing into a black hole of secrecy in Manhattan. Since 2021, twelve community boards have hidden $382,716 in public spending behind a simple yet troubling label: “N/A (Privacy/Security).” They’ve marked both payee names and purposes as “N/A,” turning public expenses into private
Manhattan’s Community Boards: A $382,716 Black Hole Read More »
CorruptionWhen Transparency Takes a Vacation Amid the swaying palms of Puerto Rico, New York City officials and their growing entourages continue their annual ritual of luxury networking at taxpayer expense. The SOMOS conference, nominally about Hispanic legislative priorities, has devolved into New York’s premier Caribbean junket – where politicians and their staffs strike poolside deals
NYC: Where Transparency Takes a Vacation Read More »
CorruptionA Study in Strategic Opacity Despite today’s expectations of government transparency, the New York City Council under Speaker Adrienne Adams has mastered financial opacity. This persists even with oversight from City Comptroller Brad Lander and Council Finance Chair Justin Brannan – both wielding significant fiscal authority yet remaining silent on how council funds vanish into
NYC Council’s $1.2M Black Box: A Study in Financial Opacity Read More »
CorruptionThe trend of violent crime victimization in New York City up to September 2024 highlights persistent racial disparities and troubling trends. During this nine-month period, violent crime victimization increased by 5.4% in 2024 compared to the same timeframe in 2023. This rise has disproportionately impacted different communities, with minority groups experiencing the majority of the
Racial Disparities in NYC Violent Crime Victimization Read More »
CrimeThe Investigation A thorough examination of public records has revealed a questionable expense in the NYC Council’s spending: a car service bill that raises significant questions about the use of public funds. After multiple unanswered requests for explanation, the matter has escalated to a formal Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to uncover the details
NYC Council Speaker’s $1,393 Car Service: Questions of Coincidence Read More »
CorruptionPart 3 of “NYC’s Creative Accounting Chronicles” – Following “Fiscal Follies: Unveiling NYC Officials’ Creative Accounting Circus” and “NYC’s Financial Circus Continues: Board of Elections’ $29M Car Service Splurge“ Introducing Our Latest Discovery Welcome to New York City’s most impressive disappearing act yet. Following our previous exposés of fiscal acrobatics and car service extravaganzas, we
The $4.2 Billion Vanishing Act: NYC’s Creative Accounting of 2023 Read More »
CorruptionA Continuing Investigation into NYC’s Creative Accounting When I examine New York City’s accounting practices, I feel like I am swimming in raw sewage. In my last blog post, titled “Fiscal Follies: Unveiling NYC Officials’ Creative Accounting Circus,” I investigated the accounting practices of New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
NYC’s Financial Circus Continues: Board of Elections’ $29M Car Service Splurge Read More »
Corruption