Bloomberg couldn't be more correct and not just for NY

NY plagued by party stooges: Bloomberg

By DAVID SEIFMAN, City Hall Bureau Chief

Mayor Bloomberg went on a tirade against the corruption plagued Albany political class yesterday, charging that state legislators handpicked by party leaders are such hacks that they're unqualified for private-sector jobs.

“The average legislator who has to make policy on things that influence our lives, our kids’ lives, our future — would they ever get a job in the private sector making policy on big things?” the mayor said on his WOR radio show.

“No, not a chance. And yet those are the ones we keep re-electing. You’ve got to ask yourself why. The parties control the mechanism.”

He suggested inept elected officials would have a hard time staying in office if they faced real challengers and weren’t protected by party bosses.

“They literally say, ‘This one’s going to run for this; this one’s going to run for that,’ ” the mayor said. “There’s no contest. They [candidates] are virtually appointed. The number of times there is a real competition is so slim.”

The billionaire mayor went after legislative staffers, suggesting they owe their paychecks to patronage.

“Go take a look at a legislator and see who his or her employees are,” he said. “Most of it is not done based on open competitions where you go out and say, ‘Let’s find the best and the brightest.’ ”

To top off his fusillade, Bloomberg complained about the political dynasties that block others from getting into office.

“What I love is you see these families, one after another after another,” he said. “Sometimes, they don’t even change the literature.”

The mayor’s extraordinary take on the sad state of Albany came after state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) and Assemblyman Eric Stevenson (D-Bronx) were snared on corruption charges in two federal investigations announced this week.

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Queens), an outspoken maverick, said Bloomberg was on target.

“I’ve actually said something similar for years,” he said. “Some of my colleagues — they couldn’t get a job. In some respects, I agree with him.”

But Avella added that Bloomberg is one of the biggest campaign contributors to Albany.

“He’s somewhat of a hypocrite,” Avella said. “He makes statements like that, but he’s contributed big money. So, in some ways, he’s made it worse.”

FBI questioning people about Espaillat's community-group funding

The FBI has been questioning people about state Sen. Adriano Espaillat and his funding of community groups in upper Manhattan, sources told The Post yesterday.

Agents were in his Washington Heights district last month talking to local leaders about the use of public funds by the Democrat, who last year nearly unseated longtime US Rep. Charles Rangel in a primary.

“FBI agents were asking about member items that Espaillat provided to community organizations,” a source said, referring to lawmakers’ practice of directing money to their districts.

Often derided as “pork-barrel spending,” member items are discouraged.

Espaillat sponsored or co-sponsored almost 100 member items as an assemblyman in the four years before his Senate election in 2010, records show.

Most were for $5,000 or less, but a nonprofit, the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Economic Development, got nearly $500,000 in increments of primarily $70,000 or $80,000, as first reported by The Post.

The group has employed Espaillat’s sister-in-law, his Democratic district leader and several consultants who worked for his campaigns.

The scrutiny comes as two other state lawmakers, Sen. Malcolm Smith of Queens and Assemblyman Eric Stevenson of The Bronx, were arrested in federal bribery cases this week.

Espaillat’s former chief of staff, Assemblyman Nelson Castro, is a key witness against Stevenson and revealed Thursday that he’s also an informant in other criminal investigations involving New York politicians.

Asked about the FBI agents’ inquiry, Espaillat spokesman Jonathan Davis responded, “Senator Espaillat’s support for community funding is completely transparent and based on the needs of his district.

“The senator has zero tolerance for corruption and has a flawless record of representing his constituents with integrity and conviction.”

Castro’s lawyer, Michael Farkas, declined to comment when asked whether Castro assisted in a probe of Espaillat. The FBI also declined to comment.

Espaillat’s coalition closed in 2011 when member items became discouraged and its executive director, Nurys de Oleo, landed a $50,000-a-year job as Espaillat’s special assistant.

And we all know about the reputation of  Charlie Rangel.