Now that former State Senator Pedro Espada's federal corruption trial is underway, there promises to be a daily list of interesting nuggets -- like today's disclosure that he spent more than $60,000 on sushi and lobster. The New York Post has the daily tally.
This is how we roll!
ReplyDelete"Why don't you come up and sashimi sometime?"
ReplyDeleteHow did he get those dopes to stand behind him??
ReplyDeleteThat picture was taken in August of 2010 (on a very hot day) at a press conference a gas station in Riverdale. Espada was pretending to support small gas station owners with a bill to afford them more protections against big oil companies. Those "dopes" as you call them are small gas station owners and their employees throughout the Bronx. Good people duped by a bad man. They do not deserve your harsh judgment of their intellectual capacity. In fact, one might say the real dopes are people who make judgments without knowing more of the facts.
DeleteJack, where are YOU in the photo?
DeleteJack, I agree with you, and wanted to shed a little light on some facts.
DeleteMost of the charges against Espada are over a five year period. Most posters don’t realize that and the media will not make it clear because it is dramatic to write about the sixty thousand dollars Sushi as if it was in one sitting. In five years, even I have spent more on late night take-out.
The custodial company was formed because an outside non-profit organization was receiving a tremendous government grant and using Soundview clinics as a training ground. Gautier, his son, started his own custodial company several years ago to train the apprentices and funnel interns to full time employees. He took the same grant money so of course he was the president of the company, and, of course he received a salary. The Bentley was part of Kruger’s mischief, another Amigo. They reminded me of the Housewives of Beverly Hills, I support you, you buy product from me…..
I was on the Senate staff for Senator Espada. Bronxites lost a Majority Leader. The benefits in Grants, Public Works, and millions in Member Item Funding will never be seen in the poorest district in the nation. The Senator wrestle the resources saved for the upstate elite. We lost a greedy son of a gun Majority Leader, but The Bronx was along for the ride. It is a loss for Bronx residents.
Both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate needed to rid the house of this cunning and shrewd businessman that cleverly played both sides. Espada broke the dysfunction operating in a solitary manner with a very short web.
I read the hate for Espada and I agree with you on a different level, he “does not deserve your harsh judgment”…”real dopes are the people who make judgments without knowing facts”.
Bronxites are being manipulated and poor accounting and management is not the real crime. The way the Bronx is treated in the Assembly and Senate is the real crime. I’m sorry Espada was the sacrificial lamb because we have so many other buffoons, their sons and daughters that should have been ahead of him.
I am not in the photo. I was probably at work when the photo was shot. Later that day, I was probably out canvassing to make sure Espada was defeated. That's what I did with most of my free time those weeks before the primary.
DeleteLet me be perfectly clear -- there are more than enough facts in evidence to make the harshest of judgments against Pedro Espada. The man is a a lying thief and a charlatan. I look forward to seeing him in prison. The others in the photo may have been duped that day into an Espada photo-op -- but there is no reason to judge them any more harshly than that.
Staffer is really deluded. Name some actual examples of Espada bringing money into the district? He tried and failed to give dough to a fake non-profit he and his crime family created. During the primaries, he went around promising money, showing up with oversized blow-ups of checks -- but real money rarely materialized. The only people he helped were people like Staffer, Haile Rivera and Steve Pigeon. He had a bloated and overpaid staff -- most of whom spent all of their time on campaign work -- not serving the community.
DeleteFinally -- I just have to point out the internal contradiction in Staffer's post. On the one hand Espada is a "cunning and shrewd businessman" and on the other hand he is only guilty of "poor accounting and management". Funny stuff.
Just remember the name of the politician who would have hired this "Staffer."
DeleteJack,
DeleteSteve Pigeon got dispatched to the gadfly. You must have been some pest for him to deal with you from Buffalo.
I have no idea what you are talking about, Staffer.(I am beginning to think "Staffer" may be former Espada staffer, Michael Gary.) Espada had a 50-person staff, including more than 20 "community outreach" and constituent liaison workers who made as much as $60,000 a year. The highest paid person on his staff was Steve Pigeon (my reason for mentioning him), who earned $150,000 a year. In the last 6 months of Espada's tenure in the Senate he spent over $1,000,000 on his staff. The interesting thing is that Espada campaign finance filings show absolutely no money for campaign staff. None. At campaign events (his food giveaways, for example) you saw many of the these staffers, even some of the highest paid, like Curtis Tucker and Haile Rivera, handing out bags of free food. They were all, including Pigeon, working in the district on primary day. Pigeon spent the whole day working a poll site in Riverdale. I regret that Espada's election law violations seemed to be ignored by local and federal prosecutors. I hope after the feds get him on his current charges, NY AG Eric Schneiderman goes after the Espada Crime Family for its blatant violations of campaign finance and election law.
Delete“Jack”
DeleteNo not Mr.Gary. But I now better suspect who you are.
Extensive legal staff is assigned in Albany for any Majority Leadership. Espada brought these high quality lawyers to his constituents. In two different district offices these lawyers worked all day, helping residents assemble their legal defense against evictions, licenses for businesses, criminal cases, helping assemble documentation or composing letters. Navigating residents through the legal process helped Bronxites win. So many local law students wanted to work part-time with powerful high end attorneys. They learned constituent services baptized by fire because people came by droves for the expertise. Between the Majority Leader staffing, Albany staffs and Bronx Senate staffing, using more part timers law students, the perception was a larger staff. But Espada was serving more people.
Legislative Aids wrote property tax relief so that Senior Citizens on fixed incomes would not be evicted from their apartments due to rent increases. Landlords could deduct that increase from their property taxes. Bronxites will never see that work again because we lost the Senator that was the Majority Leader.
The food give away was the generosity of Krasdale a great vendor in Hunts Point. The Senate staff you saw donated their day(s) to participate. Staff always donated days and when AG Cuomo compared those Senate sign in sheets against campaign events, no charges were brought. The Campaign Finance penalties are old ones. The New York City Campaign Finance Board was difficult to comply and at the time only one lawyer specialize in CFB compliance. Even Mayor Bloomberg bypassed CFB.
Staff members were local activists, most always worked elections. On Primary Day, I worked my own ED and my paycheck came from NYS Board of Elections, not the NYS Senate. Campaign funds paid some staff to be poll watchers, but most donated their time to leafleting. This is the playbook. Espada’s threshold of guilt is a much higher standard than most of our County elected officials. There are other Father, Son, Daughter, teams that deserve prosecution for using their tax supported agencies to campaign, long before Espada. Other elected officials have utilized their Church constituent base as a revenue source or send billable residents to their partner’s law firm. Or gain extra staff and never bring them to the Bronx. Or fund non-profits and pay exorbitant salaries to their wives, and girlfriends. Or like you, work for a candidate who has already been spayed and will never be Majority Leader for the Bronx.
Well, enough said Br…. “Jack”, your hate deserves your ignorance. Please just haunt Vladeck Hall.
Wow -- I would love to see any evidence of all this legal work Espada's office did for the community. Eviction prevention? Produce just one court file (public record) that has an appearance in Housing Court by even one attorney connected to Espada. Can one of these law students come forward?
DeleteThe "property tax relief" must be his so-called Rent Freeze bill. Relief for seniors (SCRIE) existed long before Espada took office so you can't be talking about that. Anyone who knows anything about housing matters in NYC knows Espada's rent freeze bill was a pure gift to landlords to get them out from under the Roberts decision. That Appeals Court decision forced landlords to return 1000s of units to rent regulation and paid back rent overcharges. Espada's bill used the name "rent freeze" to hide a bill which would have further weakened rent regulations.
NYC Campaign Finance rules have nothing to do with a NYS Senate race. Check the NYS campaign finance site -- you will see your former boss is not in compliance to this day. Nearly every other NYS Senator and candidate is able to comply without legal help -- because they are honestly reporting their contributions and expenses.
The Espada food giveaways were all campaign events. He tried to get petitions signed at the ones early on and was campaigning for votes at the later ones. If Krasdale donated food for these events -- this an in-kind donation to a political campaign and would be subject to campaign finance laws. If what you say is true -- Krasdale almost certainly exceeded the limits corporations can contribute to campaign. I hope AG Schneiderman or DA Johnson will investigate this. Thanks for the tip.
Looks like you and me “Jack”,
DeleteDRIE and SCRIE is onerous paperwork to the tenants that are eligible. Tenants are continuously stressed as to their renewal status. Incomplete applications meant full rental payments, and in turn, the loophole for a landlord to begin harassment and eviction, even if the difference was fifty dollars a month. The rent freeze placed the burden in the landlord’s lap. A landlord, especially with a property management team, is better suited to gain credit for all eligible tenants. It was short sighted to consider the legislation landlord friendly.
Senator Espada had the discretion of using the appointed leadership resources as he saw fit. The high quality lawyers were courtesy of the Senator. Believe me; these lawyers did not want to sit in the Bronx. Their expertise was to navigate court cases to winnable strategies. Most constituents already had over worked, court appointed lawyers.
The resentment by other Bronx politicians became apparent when residents from their Senate districts were sent to our offices for services because Espada was the “leader of the majority”. I guess those residents were not billable by a partners’ firm.
You “Jack” seem very billable….
The “charges” are based on old rehashed compliance violations pertaining to NYC campaigns and the clinics. Most were dismissed long ago. Non County candidates learn very quickly that the CFB and NYS campaign finance will cost you precious time, energy and lawyer fees between your filings. Compliance 101 has very little to do with honesty and everything to do with forensic bookkeeping. It is smarter to generate the CFB fine than lose a day of campaigning.
The Senator is guilty of poor record keeping. The trial should give him the opportunity to demonstrate his drape of expenses. We lost a Bronx Majority Leader for an insincere reason. All Bronxites should be angry, if the final deterrent to political corruption is Cuomo capping non-profit salaries.
I used the word “generous” for the food give away, not donation. One time, a staff member wanted pineapples and bought a few cases themselves to include in the bag. Good people doing good things.
Arrest that pineapple adder; he is not in compliance with the shopping bag give away regulations. Anyhow, I hope my Senator was proud of me because I am proud of him.
We have run our course “Jack”, but I’m sure you will have the last one up word.
Because then, that makes you right!
SIXTY THOUSAND dollars on sushi & lobster!!!
ReplyDeleteI guess that's what a state senator calls taking care of business
DeleteEverything can be bought and sold.
DeleteI wonder if Mr. Espada plans to see David Gelb's great new documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi"?
ReplyDeleteThe prosecutor said that Daddy Espada & Son “stole more than half a million dollars from a public charity.” . . . “They did it because they were greedy. They did it because they were powerful. They did it because they thought they were going to get away with it.”
ReplyDeleteOoops ... sorry ... I thought those "dopes" were the usual political lackeys ... I made the mistake of guilt by association.
ReplyDeleteWhat an embarassing mess for him. After all he's done for his district, to have it end this way.
ReplyDeleteI hope the accusations are not true. As they say, innocent until proven guilty..
Really? Name 4 things he's done for his district that go above and beyond what any normal legislator does.
DeleteI remember him from Stevenson Commons in the 70s and what's being done to him is just terrible.
DeleteDoes anyone recall when Dinowitz Mom and Brother and Sister in Law were caught grabbing their free goodie bags from Senator Espada in front of Vladeck Hall!!! Back in 2010!!! LMAO!!!! That was HYSTERICAL.
ReplyDeleteSounds like Ms. Hanley, so why don't you JUST SIT DOWN LADY!
ReplyDeleteOnce the majority leader of the State Senate and briefly the Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York (June 8 to July 9, 2009), . .. and now he's on trial for stealing from a not-for-profit. All of you up in the Bronx must be really proud!
ReplyDelete