Another Crook in the Obama White House?
Maybe, maybe not. But it sure is "suspicious," as they say.
His name is Adolfo Carrion and, up until he accepted the post of Obama's "Urban Czar" (btw, is anyone else bothered by how often and how freely this administration has been throwing around the term "Czar?" I realize it's been used in the past to describe the head of the "drug war," but it seems like Obama has popped up with five or six new "Czars" since taking office. maybe it's just me...) he was Bronx Borough President. Well, the New York Daily News is reporting that Buildings sprang up as donations rained down on Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion.
Instead, he issued what I would call a carefully worded statement, the Daily News referred to it as "terse":In one case, a developer became a Carrion fund-raiser two months before the borough president signed off on his project, raising more than $6,000 in campaign cash.
In another, eight Boricua College officials came up with $8,000 on the same day for Carrion three weeks before the school filed plans to build a new tower. Carrion ultimately approved the project and sponsored millions in taxpayer funds for it...
...
Saturday Carrion declined to answer written questions about his receipt of timely campaign contributions.
"Thousands of people who share the Borough President's vision for building a stronger Bronx and a stronger city have contributed to Carrion NYC. Teachers, parents, police officers, firefighters, members of the business community and concerned citizens have all contributed to the borough president's efforts to strengthen the Bronx and stimulate the local economy and he is proud to have such wide-ranging support."
Some of the contributions:
He "became aware" of Carrion's campaign at a pretty convenient time, if you ask me.Last year Jonathan Coren and a partner wanted to build 166 units of affordable housing in Parkchester.
Coren, for the first time in his life, became a registered fund-raiser - for Carrion. He raised $2,577 from multiple donors in the three weeks before Carrion approved the project on March 26.
On a single day - April 12 - he raised another $1,255, less than a month before the Planning Commission, which includes a Carrion appointee, approved Idle LLC's project.
Coren raised $6,532 for Carrion from 43 donors. The developers are awaiting funding from the city.
Asked about the purpose of fund-raising for Carrion just before he reviewed the project, Coren replied, "None, other than, to be perfectly honest with you, at that time I became aware of his campaign. It is what it is."
Coren says he never spoke "directly" with Carrion about campaign donations.
Another:
But wait, there's more...A top source for Carrion's campaign cash comes from a publicly funded project to build 679 units of housing and a 14-story college tower in Melrose.
Top officials at the Atlantic Development Group, the project's developer, and Boricua College contributed nearly $70,000 to Carrion during the time the project, called Boricua Village, moved through the system.
Atlantic needed Carrion and his planning commission rep to approve zoning changes and lift height restrictions for the tower.
The first application for the project was filed March 28, 2006. Less than a month later, Carrion got eight donations on the same day for $8,750, records show.
They all came from Boricua College administrators, including a $4,000 check from President Victor Alicea. Alicea has been a fund-raiser for Carrion.
On March 26, 2007, Carrion approved the application.
The grand total for Boricua donations was $17,512, while Atlantic owner Peter Fine and his employees came up with $52,400 - the largest single source of donations for Carrion.
In July, Carrion announced he was sponsoring $3 million in taxpayer funds for the project. Records show he has since sponsored another $4.5 million for the college part of the project.
Alicea insisted all Boricua donations came from "individuals," not the college. "We're very careful about anything that could be construed as a tradeoff or a quid pro quo."
A spokesman for Atlantic said Fine believes Carrion "is an outstanding public servant, and for that reason alone is happy to give financial support to his political endeavors."
It seems to me that even the whisper of impropriety should be enough reason for Obama and his administration to rescindtheir offer of a Czar-ship. Then again, Geithner the tax cheat is in charge of the IRS. I suppose none of us should be surprised by Carrion.In 2004, a real estate group moved to build affordable housing on the site of an old Mott Haven brewery on St. Ann's Ave. The project stalled.
In April 2007, dozens of employees of Jackson Development Group started donating to Carrion. There were 23 contributions in two months, including $1,000 from a construction worker.
By November 2007, 41 donations from Jackson employees to Carrion totaled $35,650. In May 2008, Carrion approved the project. Two months later, he announced he was sponsoring $3 million in taxpayer funds for the project.
Jackson did not return a call seeking comment.
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, or New York and Washington D.C., as the case may be. Methinks it is the stink of Carrion.
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