....December 20, 11:31 AM
 
 
 
May The New Year Bring PeaceTo Us All

By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

It’s holiday time. I decided, in the spirit of the holiday, to present some elected officials with gifts for the holidays or wishes for the New Year.

IN THE CITY

Mayor Mike Bloomberg:What do you get for the man that has everything . . . and more? May Mayor Mike find that the challenge of tomorrow surpasses the challenge of today.

Comptroller Bill Thompson:The Mayoral wannabe got his present early, when last week, Bronx Beep Adolpho Carrion dropped out of the 2009 race for Mayor. For Bill we now wish boundless energy and that he grow back his moustache.

Public Advocate Betsy Gottbaum:we wish a year of peace and recovery for her family.

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall: we wish her penultimate year in office be filled with the rewards and achievements often elusive in a political career.

DA Dick Brown: we wish more fires, arrests and challenges – with no victims or injuries – for the accomplished never-stopping, elder statesman of Queens.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn has granted the people their wish of the Council not trying to repeal term limits; therefore may she have a year of achievement as she faces her next-to-last year in the Council as a result of those term limits.

Tony Avella:some internal peace and the ability to lighten up and laugh at himself.

John Liu: we repeat our recommendation to run for Assembly in order to continue his career of public service.

Hiram Monserrate:A seat in which to serve his people.

Peter Vallone Jr: name recognition, boroughwide -- especially among single women.

David Weprin: The ability to relax and be at ease as he puts together his run for Comptroller.

Jim Gennaro: May his challenge to Senator Frank Padavan be a lot better funded by the Senate Dems and the Governor than he believes it will be.

Helen Sears: Some time off after many years of hard work.

Eric Gioia: The words of Paul Simon, “Slow down, you move to fast . . .” and Queens County Dem support in his quest for Public Advocate in ’09.

Leroy Comrie: Success in all he does to the deserving, hard working Councilmember including success in his publicly announced diet.

Tom White: The only non-term limited Queens member of the City Council has visions of sugar plums and a dream of a Speakership dance in his head.

Melinda Katz: The brass ring.

Dennis Gallagher: May he find peace, good will and grace after a terrible year.

James Sanders: We see Albany in his future and would wish that on no one.

Joe Addabbo, Jr: how do you spell Senator?

IN ALBANY

Governor Eliot Spitzer: a copy of Dale Carnegie’s classic book, “How To Win Friends and Influence People.”

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo: may Governor Spitzer remain stubborn and not read (therefore not follow the advice) the book. Interestingly, the AG has learned from his mistakes and now sits in the catbird seat ready to possibly challenge a badly injured governor should he not work hard to reverse his fortunes.

NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli: Perhaps the nicest guy in the game of politics, may he grow thicker skin and never need it.

Malcolm Smith: two seats and the rest is up to him.

Frank Padavan: a sense of humor and a smile.

John Sabini: a new district.

Serf Maltese: a productive retirement.

Toby Stavisky: continued growth as an impressive, hard-working, reform-oriented, elder statesperson in Albany.

Audrey Pheffer: a chance to take back her 1996 vote to repeal the NYC Commuter Tax costing the City cumulatively about $5 billion. It is that vote which will remain an insurmountable hurdle in her quest for the Borough Presidency.

Mark Weprin: the miracle of fulfillment in Albany.

Rory Lancman: the rewards of his hard work and dedication.

Ann-Margaret Carrozza: some visibility.

Nettie Mayerson: an “h” – ask her about it.

Andrew Hevesi: making it on his own while dealing with his family’s strife.

Michelle Titus: James Sanders.

Ivan Lafayette: a happy retirement.

Mike Gianaris:the same visions as Tom White.

IN WASHINGTON

Hillary Clinton: a title to replace Senator.

Senator Chuck Schumer: continued achievement to show why he wears the title Senator so well.

Gary Ackerman: a new wardrobe for his hot new body and peace in the Middle East.

Greg Meeks: a say in who replaces Hillary.

Joe Crowley: a Queens County Democratic organization united behind what is best for the people.

Anthony Weiner: He has boundless energy, perhaps he could use a moustache, too.

Dick Cheney: Time to hunt by himself.

George Bush: Some answers.

MSchenkler@QueensTribune.com

 
 
Council Cares for Itself With a Generous Hand

By HENRY STERN

The issue of compensation and outside compensation for Council Members is one that has been around a long time, and will continue to be a subject of contention.

I first became involved in it when I was elected to the Council in November 1973, and saw my salary drop from the $32,000 or so I was earning as first deputy commissioner of consumer affairs to the $20,000 that Council Members were paid at the time. Nonetheless I was happy to make the change, for the honor of  being an elected official, for the opportunity to speak my mind, for four years’ tenure rather than serving at the pleasure of the commissioner or mayoral aides, and for the chance, I believed to influence policy in the City of New York.

The last reason turned out to be delusional. Mayor Beame and Majority Leader Cuite were not in the least interested in any suggestions from the lone Liberal member of the Council, or even from the young Democrats elected like Robert F. Wagner, Jr., my fellow Councilman-at-Large from Manhattan. But the job was still a great pleasure and challenge, and I would have taken it for a lesser salary.
 The greatest impediment to our work was the limitation on Council aides, which at the time I entered the Council, was $7,500 a year, which could be divided into no more than five slices.  The general idea was to allow a Council Member to appoint a part-time staff member at $1,500 per year, one from each political club in his district, to represent him at their meetings, to carry requests from club members, and to secure support for the Councilman for giving patronage to the political club.  I understand that that sum has since multiplied about 40 times, far surpassing the rate of inflation.

We want to subscribe to and incorporate by reference the thoughtful testimony of Dick Dadey on behalf of Citizens Union before the Council Government Operations Committee on Council members compensation last week. We agree with the analysis of the situation that it is possible to have a middle ground between allowing no outside earned income and allowing members to pursue other occupations without limitations on time or compensation.

It is also a ridiculous practice to create subcommittees without limit just to make sure that each member on the majority side receives a lulu. Although the condition is not as bad as it was a generation ago, when salaries for committee chairs varied by increments of $500, and chairs were awarded based on seniority, geography and loyalty to the leadership of the Council (termed ‘reliability’).
The struggle to reform the Council began before it was formed in 1938.  For a while proportional representation led to more qualified members representing broader points of view.  The old-line political machines succeeded in repealing PR based on the Red Scare in the early part of the Cold War.

The abolition of Council Members-at-Large by the Federal courts has left the Council even less representative than it was.  Ethnic diversity is highly desirable, but it should not be confused with diversity of opinion.  But that is not the fault of any of the Council Members, any more than term limits, which I happen to believe are desirable, can be blamed on the incumbents.

If the salary is tied to any other figure, it should not be the cost of living, but the city’s deficit.
Budgets must now be balanced according to generally accepted accounting principles, but deficits lurk off the books and in crevices only limited by the technical ability of budgeteers, which is great.

Just as corporate salaries are linked to corporate performance, it would be interesting to relate council salaries to how well the city is doing under the legislative leadership. This may be more than the Council can handle, it is offered as an alternative to raises by inflation.

The limitation on outside earned income is a thorny issue on which I am less certain than I was when I was so much younger than today. There is no limit on rents, interest, dividends or any other form of unearned income, which means the rich can get richer while they hold public office. At the same time, the practice of Council Members spending close to full time furthering their private commercial interests and coming to work for meetings only, usually to say ‘aye’ or raise their hands at the scripted moment, is unsettling.  Where and how to draw the line on outside income is a difficult question, as well as the issue of whether it should be drawn at all. 

I appreciate the committee actually holding a hearing on this issue, and I hope the result is fuller consideration of how to change the current climate of periodic spasms of self-enrichment. Existing practices in this area do

justice neither to elected officials, part timers or full timers, nor to the citizen-taxpayers who provide their emoluments.
StarQuest@NYCivic.org

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