Bill de Blasio's staff had role in determining City Council leadership posts

Mayor de Blasio violated checks-and-balances

Given to how much control Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to have over the City Council, like picking its new speaker, the mayor also wants to have a say in who would lead the various Council leadership posts.

And when Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito announced this week the new leadership posts for the City Council, her deputy, Councilmember Brad Lander, told reporters, “A lot of people were consulted." When pressed further by reporters about the role of the mayor's administration in selecting the new Council leadership posts, Councilmember Lander admitted that, “Yeah, I guess I did talk to members of the administration ...." (Bill de Blasio aides consulted on New York City Council committee assignments * Capital New York)

Mayor's staff had a hand in Council committee assignments http://t.co/B4gFFZQFPr via @Azi

— Kristen Meriwether (@MeriwetherK) January 23, 2014

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Mayor de Blasio's efforts to subvert the will of the City Council in determining its own leadership flies in the face of all the criticisms he hurled at his chief rival in last year's mayoral race. Previously, Mayor de Blasio had excoriated the former Council speaker, Christine Quinn, for serving as a rubber stamp for the former mayor, Michael Bloomberg.

But now, it seems, Mayor de Blasio is seeking from Speaker Mark-Viverito that which he formerly charged Mayor Bloomberg from seeking in Speaker Quinn : a doormat.

Sam Roberts Stops City Hall Reporter Kate Taylor From Fully Discussing Council Speaker Backroom Deals

This Week In Self-Censoring, Corporate Newspaper Editors

On this week-end's edition of The New York Times Close-Up on NY1, the editor Sam Roberts asked City Hall reporter Kate Taylor to give a report back on the Council speaker race. Mr. Roberts only tolerated the most brief of report backs ever provided in the show's history. The instant that Ms. Taylor reported that leading Council speaker candidate Melissa Mark-Viverito may not have the votes needed to win the speakership, Mr. Roberts said, "We'll leave it right there," or something similar to that. Mr. Roberts had to cut off Ms. Taylor, before she could give the public a report back on all the corrupt backroom deals being wagered in the desperate power grab waged by Ms. Mark-Viverito's camp.

Even though very little scrutiny is being put on Councilmember Daniel Garodnick, Ms. Mark-Viverito's challenger for the speakership, both candidates have "manned up" with teams of real estate lobbyists/enablers. The Council speaker will be selected on Wednesday, when the next session of the municipal legislature will first convene in the new year. It remains to be seen if, before then, either side really becomes so disconsolate that they may actually break the kinds of laws that will trigger a federal corruption investigation. In the fight for the speakership, Ms. Mark-Viverito's team of lobbyists have thus far flouted campaign finance regulations, one of her lobbyists faces a Campaign Finance Board investigation, and Ms. Mark-Viverito has been engulfed in allegations of ethics violations.

The Council speaker race : Where are the reforms ?

The Council speaker race : Where are the reforms ?

The Council speaker race : Where are the reforms ? #constantcontact http://t.co/3VU7srogoE

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) December 30, 2013

Bill de Blasio and Melissa Mark-Viverito : Checks and balances are for stooges

Bill de Blasio Prods City Council to Elect Puppet as Speaker

Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito said on Wednesday that she had lined up enough support to win the speaker's post, thanks to the intervention of mayor-elect Bill de Blasio. By Saturday, the editorial board of The New York Daily News has now published another denunciation of the conflicts of interest that are giving rise to Ms. Mark-Viverito's speakership : "Keep the bums out." This follows a prior editorial published last month in which the same editorial board expressed their opposition to Ms. Mark-Viverito's speakership campaign : "No to Mark-Viverito."

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Bill de Blasio Prods City Council to Elect Puppet as Speaker

Checks and balances are for stooges.

Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito said on Wednesday that she had lined up enough support to win the speaker's post, thanks to the intervention of mayor-elect Bill de Blasio.

How soon before somebody makes a "puppet show" video about Ms. Mark-Viverito ?