A powerful Brooklyn lawmaker who has delivered millions of dollars in state aid to his district is also on the payroll of one of the community groups he has funded - but won't say what he's paid to do.
Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Bushwick) has been a consultant to a not-for-profit housing group since 1998, earning as much as $57,600 a year, according to tax records and check stubs obtained by The Post.
Lopez's consulting fees come on top of the $92,000 annual salary he earns as a state lawmaker and committee chairman.
When asked about his role as a consultant and any possible conflict with his position as chairman of the Assembly's Housing Committee, Lopez erupted in a bizarre tirade.
"On Tuesday we're feeding 2,000 senior citizens, what are you doing?" he snapped.
"How much do you get paid?" Lopez continued. "Unless you tell me how much you get paid and what you're doing on Christmas, I won't answer your questions."
Yet even when that information was provided, Lopez still refused to discuss his consulting work or explain what the housing-management group does in his district.
Lopez even suggested The Post's questions be posed to one of his daughters. He later tried to say he was joking with that suggestion.
Lopez is among Gov. Pataki's strongest supporters in the city. He has boasted of the tens of millions of dollars that he has brought to his district annually for housing and other programs.
Groups he has founded depend heavily on state largess. His Bushwick-Ridgewood Senior Citizens Center, an umbrella group for many of the district's not-for-profits, receives $7 million a year in public funds.
Community Property Management Inc. operates housing built or rehabilitated by groups affiliated with the Bushwick-Ridgewood Senior Citizens Center. Officials at the management group did not return calls for comment.
In filings with the state's Legislative Ethics Committee, Lopez, as required by law, declared his consulting work for Community Property Management during 1998, 1999 and 2000.
In those filings, Lopez described the work as providing technical assistance for program development, but was not required to state his income.
Source Citation: "POL BENEFIT$ FROM STATE-AIDED GROUP.(News)." New York Post (New York, NY) (Dec 23, 2001):
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Does Vito Lopez have a Norman problem?
Brooklyn assemblyman Vito Lopez, who is pushing hard to win the county's Democratic Party leadership post made vacant by the conviction of his former assembly colleague, Clarence Norman, Jr., has something else in common with Norman: Both men used political campaign committees to pay for their personal cars, and then accepted mileage reimbursement from the legislature - a legal no-no according to Brooklyn District Attorney Charles "Joe" Hynes who won indictments against Norman for that very offense.
State election board filings show that since 1999 the Bushwick pol's campaign committee, "Friends of Vito Lopez," has routinely shelled out $500 a month in leasing costs for his Acura sports car, and another $2800 a year for his auto insurance costs. It also pays more than $200 a month for a luxury dashboard computer service. In addition, the committee picks up a monthly American Express bill for the assemblyman, a tab that runs from $400 to $8,000 a month.
At the same time, legislative expense records show that Lopez has routinely billed the Assembly for his weekly 320-mile round trip between Brooklyn and Albany when the legislature is in session. Legislators are reimbursed on a per-mile amount, currently pegged at 48.5 cents, a figure that is set by the federal IRS and which is calculated to reflect the full cost of owning and maintaining an automobile, including fuel costs. To obtain reimbursement, lawmakers are required to fill out a detailed sheet specifying mileage, and must certify that it is truthful and accurate.
In Norman's case, the payments were made by the Kings County Democratic Committee, a practice Hynes said constituted double dipping. Two years ago, Hynes won indictments against Norman for grand larceny and 76 counts of filing falsified expense statements. Norman's attorneys challenged the charges, but courts have upheld them saying that the grand jury that indicted the former Bed-Stuy powerbroker correctly found that Norman was seeking reimbursement under false pretenses. Norman has yet to be tried on those charges. He was convicted of separate campaign abuses last month and forced to give up his law license and political positions.
A Hynes source said Lopez's filings appeared to be similar to Norman's, and are currently under scrutiny. "There is a pending investigation," the source said.
Lopez vehemently defended his practice and said he's doing nothing wrong. "There are at least 15 or 20 legislators who do the same thing," he said. Lopez said that he splits the cost of his car and insurance, with his campaign committee paying 70 percent of the tab, while he pays the rest himself. Lopez said that his total monthly lease payments for the auto run a whopping $800, but he refused to provide specifics.
Lopez also declined to say what's covered by his American Express bills, but insisted that they don't include his auto upkeep or gas costs. He pays for all of that, even new tires, out of his own pocket, and in cash, he said. Always cash? Even at a self-service gas pump? "Yes, this politician pays in cash. I just bought a new Michelin tire. I paid for it in cash, I could send you the receipt." Would he? "No, I am not going to give you anything. I have gone way beyond what I should. I know what this is all about. You are trying to bring me down."
Norman's indictment on the expense-padding charges came after two other city legislators, former Bronx assemblywoman Gloria Davis, and Brooklyn assemblyman Roger Green, were also cited for improperly seeking travel reimbursement. But even in the wake of those scandals, Lopez said he had never sought an opinion regarding his own expense practices. "Others have gotten legal opinions," he said. "It's legal."
Brooklyn's Democratic district leaders are due to meet next Tuesday to consider plans for choosing a new chairman of the party's executive committee-the party leader's formal title. Lopez claims he already has 25 votes - more than enough to put himself over the top. But others disputed his math, saying he has no more than 19 or 20, still shy of the 22-vote majority needed for victory. But Lopez is already talking like he has it wrapped up. "My pledge is to bring unity and respectability to the party," he said.
Lopez would also bring a penchant for endorsing Republicans over Democrats. In recent elections, he backed Rudy Giuliani for mayor, and George Pataki for governor. He also backed his longtime ally, former Senator Al D'Amato, against Democrat and fellow Brooklynite Charles Schumer in 1998.
"Lots of Democrats did the same thing," he responded. "I am responsible for putting some of the best, most progressive judges on the bench, how about that?"
posted: 9:17 AM, October 5, 2005 by Tom Robbins
State election board filings show that since 1999 the Bushwick pol's campaign committee, "Friends of Vito Lopez," has routinely shelled out $500 a month in leasing costs for his Acura sports car, and another $2800 a year for his auto insurance costs. It also pays more than $200 a month for a luxury dashboard computer service. In addition, the committee picks up a monthly American Express bill for the assemblyman, a tab that runs from $400 to $8,000 a month.
At the same time, legislative expense records show that Lopez has routinely billed the Assembly for his weekly 320-mile round trip between Brooklyn and Albany when the legislature is in session. Legislators are reimbursed on a per-mile amount, currently pegged at 48.5 cents, a figure that is set by the federal IRS and which is calculated to reflect the full cost of owning and maintaining an automobile, including fuel costs. To obtain reimbursement, lawmakers are required to fill out a detailed sheet specifying mileage, and must certify that it is truthful and accurate.
In Norman's case, the payments were made by the Kings County Democratic Committee, a practice Hynes said constituted double dipping. Two years ago, Hynes won indictments against Norman for grand larceny and 76 counts of filing falsified expense statements. Norman's attorneys challenged the charges, but courts have upheld them saying that the grand jury that indicted the former Bed-Stuy powerbroker correctly found that Norman was seeking reimbursement under false pretenses. Norman has yet to be tried on those charges. He was convicted of separate campaign abuses last month and forced to give up his law license and political positions.
A Hynes source said Lopez's filings appeared to be similar to Norman's, and are currently under scrutiny. "There is a pending investigation," the source said.
Lopez vehemently defended his practice and said he's doing nothing wrong. "There are at least 15 or 20 legislators who do the same thing," he said. Lopez said that he splits the cost of his car and insurance, with his campaign committee paying 70 percent of the tab, while he pays the rest himself. Lopez said that his total monthly lease payments for the auto run a whopping $800, but he refused to provide specifics.
Lopez also declined to say what's covered by his American Express bills, but insisted that they don't include his auto upkeep or gas costs. He pays for all of that, even new tires, out of his own pocket, and in cash, he said. Always cash? Even at a self-service gas pump? "Yes, this politician pays in cash. I just bought a new Michelin tire. I paid for it in cash, I could send you the receipt." Would he? "No, I am not going to give you anything. I have gone way beyond what I should. I know what this is all about. You are trying to bring me down."
Norman's indictment on the expense-padding charges came after two other city legislators, former Bronx assemblywoman Gloria Davis, and Brooklyn assemblyman Roger Green, were also cited for improperly seeking travel reimbursement. But even in the wake of those scandals, Lopez said he had never sought an opinion regarding his own expense practices. "Others have gotten legal opinions," he said. "It's legal."
Brooklyn's Democratic district leaders are due to meet next Tuesday to consider plans for choosing a new chairman of the party's executive committee-the party leader's formal title. Lopez claims he already has 25 votes - more than enough to put himself over the top. But others disputed his math, saying he has no more than 19 or 20, still shy of the 22-vote majority needed for victory. But Lopez is already talking like he has it wrapped up. "My pledge is to bring unity and respectability to the party," he said.
Lopez would also bring a penchant for endorsing Republicans over Democrats. In recent elections, he backed Rudy Giuliani for mayor, and George Pataki for governor. He also backed his longtime ally, former Senator Al D'Amato, against Democrat and fellow Brooklynite Charles Schumer in 1998.
"Lots of Democrats did the same thing," he responded. "I am responsible for putting some of the best, most progressive judges on the bench, how about that?"
posted: 9:17 AM, October 5, 2005 by Tom Robbins
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Vito's Surrogate Judge Plan Derailed
Daily News Editorial, May 5, 2007
FRANK, WE HARDLY KNEW YA
There are fresh reports that, as we predicted, these are the last days of the very short judicial career of Brooklyn Surrogate Judge Frank Seddio. He is expected to quit the bench next week. Good riddance.
After we reported that Seddio had funneled campaign funds to buddies as he finagled the coveted judgeship from the Brooklyn Democratic machine, he became the subject of an investigation by the Commission on Judicial Conduct. He told pals he's quitting out of boredom, having taken office only last year. Right.
Bright-side factor: As long as Seddio quits before July, Brooklyn boss Vito Lopez will not be able to hand-pick a replacement. Since this is the same Lopez who placed his own daughter and his girlfriend's brother on the bench last year, better that there will be a completely open primary, with voters choosing the new surrogate.
But even better than that would be for the Legislature, which created Seddio's judgeship as part of a shady deal, to abolish the unneeded post. Seddio's departure removes only part of the stench.
FRANK, WE HARDLY KNEW YA
There are fresh reports that, as we predicted, these are the last days of the very short judicial career of Brooklyn Surrogate Judge Frank Seddio. He is expected to quit the bench next week. Good riddance.
After we reported that Seddio had funneled campaign funds to buddies as he finagled the coveted judgeship from the Brooklyn Democratic machine, he became the subject of an investigation by the Commission on Judicial Conduct. He told pals he's quitting out of boredom, having taken office only last year. Right.
Bright-side factor: As long as Seddio quits before July, Brooklyn boss Vito Lopez will not be able to hand-pick a replacement. Since this is the same Lopez who placed his own daughter and his girlfriend's brother on the bench last year, better that there will be a completely open primary, with voters choosing the new surrogate.
But even better than that would be for the Legislature, which created Seddio's judgeship as part of a shady deal, to abolish the unneeded post. Seddio's departure removes only part of the stench.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Lopez: "Kruger Appointment By Bruno Dawn of New Day"
US States news, February 28, 2007
SEN. BRUNO NAMES SEN. CARL KRUGER CHAIR OF SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE
New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick (43rd District), issued the following news release:
In an historic display of bipartisanship, Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno has appointed Sen. Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) to chair the Senate Committee on Social Services, Children and Families.
"In the spirit of reforming State government and the spirit of bipartisanship, I am appointing Democratic State Senator Carl Kruger to chair the Senate Committee on Social Services, Children and Families," Senator Bruno said. "This is a new day in the Capitol and the appointment of Senator Kruger clearly demonstrates our willingness to put partisanship aside and work together in the best interests of all New Yorkers."
In accepting this appointment, Senator Kruger said, "The message that Governor Spitzer has articulated has cre-ated the atmosphere where this could happen. He emphasized the need to set aside politics and partisanship for the sake of the public interest, ethics and good governance."
"I wanted the best person possible to take on this critically important committee and Senator Kruger was at the top of the list," Senator Bruno said. "He has an outstanding record of compassion and public service, representing his Brooklyn district for 13 years. He is well respected and known for his ability to work with people to get a positive result and that is the kind of person we need to chair this committee."
Senator Kruger noted that he has been and will always remain a "lifelong, independent Democrat" who is "not changing his party and will not be joining the Majority conference."
"Senator Bruno, to his credit, has been steadfast in his belief that this appointment be totally and completely blind to a political agenda and, instead, be about providing a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves, including soci-ety's most vulnerable citizens - the disabled, the infirm, our senior citizens, youth and all those who will benefit from the strong voice of advocacy," Senator Kruger said.
Senator Kruger said that he hopes that "this nonpartisan agenda of reform will continue to grow until it is common practice in the Legislature."
A graphic example of this philosophy was best demonstrated by Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who stated, "the ap-pointment of Senator Carl Kruger as Chair of the Committee on Social Services, Children and Families could be the dawn of a new day in the Legislature." "Actions such as this one send a powerful message to the people of New York State, a message that reflects the original intent of the Founding Fathers, that good governance is defined by loyalty to the public interest and not private concerns," Senator Kruger said.
SEN. BRUNO NAMES SEN. CARL KRUGER CHAIR OF SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE
New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick (43rd District), issued the following news release:
In an historic display of bipartisanship, Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno has appointed Sen. Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) to chair the Senate Committee on Social Services, Children and Families.
"In the spirit of reforming State government and the spirit of bipartisanship, I am appointing Democratic State Senator Carl Kruger to chair the Senate Committee on Social Services, Children and Families," Senator Bruno said. "This is a new day in the Capitol and the appointment of Senator Kruger clearly demonstrates our willingness to put partisanship aside and work together in the best interests of all New Yorkers."
In accepting this appointment, Senator Kruger said, "The message that Governor Spitzer has articulated has cre-ated the atmosphere where this could happen. He emphasized the need to set aside politics and partisanship for the sake of the public interest, ethics and good governance."
"I wanted the best person possible to take on this critically important committee and Senator Kruger was at the top of the list," Senator Bruno said. "He has an outstanding record of compassion and public service, representing his Brooklyn district for 13 years. He is well respected and known for his ability to work with people to get a positive result and that is the kind of person we need to chair this committee."
Senator Kruger noted that he has been and will always remain a "lifelong, independent Democrat" who is "not changing his party and will not be joining the Majority conference."
"Senator Bruno, to his credit, has been steadfast in his belief that this appointment be totally and completely blind to a political agenda and, instead, be about providing a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves, including soci-ety's most vulnerable citizens - the disabled, the infirm, our senior citizens, youth and all those who will benefit from the strong voice of advocacy," Senator Kruger said.
Senator Kruger said that he hopes that "this nonpartisan agenda of reform will continue to grow until it is common practice in the Legislature."
A graphic example of this philosophy was best demonstrated by Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who stated, "the ap-pointment of Senator Carl Kruger as Chair of the Committee on Social Services, Children and Families could be the dawn of a new day in the Legislature." "Actions such as this one send a powerful message to the people of New York State, a message that reflects the original intent of the Founding Fathers, that good governance is defined by loyalty to the public interest and not private concerns," Senator Kruger said.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
She fell into the party's disfavor when she refused to hire a law secretary demanded by Assemblyman Vito Lopez
Daily News, January 31, 2007
HEADLINE: NORMAN WOULDN'T SUPPORT MY BID, SAYS JUDGE
A JUDGE WHO rose to surrogate by crusading against Brooklyn's Democratic machine took the stand against ex-party boss Clarence Norman yesterday, telling jurors he had refused to support her 2002 Civil Court bid.
Surrogate Margarita Lopez Torres, a former Legal Aid attorney, was backed by the Brooklyn Democratic Party when she was first elected a Civil Court judge in 1992.
But her supporters have said she fell into the party's disfavor when she refused to hire a law secretary demanded by Assemblyman Vito Lopez, now the Brooklyn party chairman. Prosecutors were barred from asking her about that inci-dent.
When she sought Norman's backing for her 2002 reelection campaign, he refused, she said.
"The endorsement of the party is critical. They have tremendous power. They can make or break you," Lopez Tor-res said of her attempts to get Norman's backing.
Her failure to get his support led her to run as a reformer.
Norman is on trial for allegedly forcing two other 2002 candidates, Karen Yellen and Marcia Sikowitz, to pay fa-vored vendors in exchange for his support.
Lopez Torres testified that Norman, then the local Democratic leader, didn't care about her credentials or status as an accomplished Latina jurist.
His aide, Jeffrey Feldman, instead told her he didn't like her "lifestyle," she said.
But defense lawyer Anthony Ricco suggested the party couldn't have been omnipotent because Lopez Torres and another rebel candidate beat Yellen and Sikowitz. nkatz@nydailynews.com
HEADLINE: NORMAN WOULDN'T SUPPORT MY BID, SAYS JUDGE
A JUDGE WHO rose to surrogate by crusading against Brooklyn's Democratic machine took the stand against ex-party boss Clarence Norman yesterday, telling jurors he had refused to support her 2002 Civil Court bid.
Surrogate Margarita Lopez Torres, a former Legal Aid attorney, was backed by the Brooklyn Democratic Party when she was first elected a Civil Court judge in 1992.
But her supporters have said she fell into the party's disfavor when she refused to hire a law secretary demanded by Assemblyman Vito Lopez, now the Brooklyn party chairman. Prosecutors were barred from asking her about that inci-dent.
When she sought Norman's backing for her 2002 reelection campaign, he refused, she said.
"The endorsement of the party is critical. They have tremendous power. They can make or break you," Lopez Tor-res said of her attempts to get Norman's backing.
Her failure to get his support led her to run as a reformer.
Norman is on trial for allegedly forcing two other 2002 candidates, Karen Yellen and Marcia Sikowitz, to pay fa-vored vendors in exchange for his support.
Lopez Torres testified that Norman, then the local Democratic leader, didn't care about her credentials or status as an accomplished Latina jurist.
His aide, Jeffrey Feldman, instead told her he didn't like her "lifestyle," she said.
But defense lawyer Anthony Ricco suggested the party couldn't have been omnipotent because Lopez Torres and another rebel candidate beat Yellen and Sikowitz. nkatz@nydailynews.com
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Vito Lopez Continues the Corruption
In the past I have touched on the sad corruption in my own Brooklyn Democratic Party. Well, since then the head of this corrupt machine, Clarence Norman, was convicted on several corruption charges. That is progress. But the new head of the Brooklyn Democrats is Vito Lopez, who was a close ally of the now convicted Clarence Norman, is the new Democratic Party Boss for Brooklyn. Meet the new boss? Same as the old boss? According to Vito Lopez and his allies, Vito is untainted by corruption and will be a reformer. But, sad to say, this is not true. Vito Lopez is nothing more than a more organized version of Clarence Norman's corruption.
Vito Lopez was an integral part of Clarence Norman’s corrupt machine, and together they did their best to ruin the career of reform-minded judge Margarita Lopez Torrez after Lopez Torres refused to appoint a crony of Vito Lopez.
From New York Civic:
Ironically, it was the actions of ex-Assemblyman and Brooklyn Democratic leader Clarence Norman, until his felony conviction in fall 2005, and Assemblyman Vito Lopez, his successor, that began the chain of circumstances that led to this decision. When Margarita Lopez-Torres was elected to a county-wide Civil Court in Brooklyn in 1993 on the recommendation of Vito Lopez, she rejected every job applicant sent to her by the county organization, including Mr. Lopez' daughter who sought employment as a law secretary. The payback for this defiance was the county's refusal to designate her for re-election when her term expired in 2003. She ran anyway, winning re-nomination in a sharply contested Democratic primary. The next year, she sought the county designation for Supreme Court Justice, which was decided by a judicial convention, not a primary. Predictably, the county organization turned her down although she was among the longest serving judges on the civil court.
In the spring of 2005 the position of Surrogate suddenly became vacant when Justice Michael Feinberg was removed for corruption by the Court of Appeals, upholding the recommendation of the Commission on Judicial Conduct. You can find details of l'affaire Feinberg on our website; just google his name. The vacancy thus created came in time to be filled by a primary. Three candidates competed, and Judge Torres won by an extremely narrow margin, some 200 votes.
And from the Daily News:
Brooklyn's ex-boss, convicted felon Clarence Norman, and its new Dem boss, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, did their best to knock Lopez Torres out of a Civil Court position and to block her from a more powerful Supreme Court seat. To her credit, Lopez Torres kept running for Supreme Court and became the public face of reform…
There's a good chance the state's party bosses will use Albany to recapture control of the judge-making machinery. (Four out of five of the city's Democratic county bosses, after all, are members of the Assembly.)
That means reform-minded political clubs and ambitious but honest lawyers need to hit the streets and start campaigning for Supreme Court - this year, while the historic window of opportunity is still open.
In addition to the cronyism that got Margarita Lopez Torrez in trouble with Vito Lopez, Vito has favored his girlfriend with lucrative development deal in 2004 and gave his girlfriend’s brother a judicial position. From Lambda Independent Democrats:
The lengthy lead story in the Real Estate section [of the NY Times] credited Lopez with sparking a massive rebuilding effort in Bushwick, way back when he was a graduate student in 1971, and then carrying it through. The story also mentioned that Angela Battaglia's agency is the developer for a $20 million component of the rebuilding effort. It even pictured Lopez and Battaglia standing together in front of new housing construction. But the story omitted that Battaglia is Lopez's girlfriend. Does that connection at least deserve mention? Might the article have explained why there was or wasn't a conflict of interest present? Was it a coincidence that Lopez's girlfriend's outfit was put in charge of the $20 million deal? Inquiring minds would like to know. It may well be that everything was done on the up-and-up. But given Lopez's tendency to do favors for his friends-for example, he helped make his girlfriend's brother Jack Battaglia a Civil Court judge-the Times should have explored the question.
And despite claims from Vito Lopez and his followers that the new boss is different from the old, not convicted, boss, so far Vito Lopez has been right there in the middle of the judicial corruption of the Norman machine.
From the Daily News:
Livin' la Vito Lopez
Declaring that he saw no evil and heard no evil, former Brooklyn Democratic boss Clarence Norman says he can speak no evil about corruption among the borough's judges. He'll not be talking to District Attorney Charles Hynes anytime soon, so hopes for quick disinfection have faded for the moment.
Just as dispiriting, party regulars chose as the convicted Norman's successor Assemblyman Vito Lopez, an old-time ward heeler from Bushwick who has never shown a zeal for reform until, gee whiz, now. He vows the party will consult a panel of learned men and women, such as Brooklyn Law School's dean, about picking quality judges.
We've seen this movie before, and the ending stinks. Two years ago, Norman and party district leaders, Lopez included, pledged they would never support a candidate for a judgeship who had not been approved by an independent screening commission. This year, for the first time, the panel reviewed Civil Court candidates.
And guess what? The party shoehorned two lawyers onto the bench without any screening. Kenny Sherman, son of district leader Roberta Sherman, will get a 10-year Civil Court term without so much as a primary. And Canarsie Assemblyman Frank Seddio was awarded an uncontested ballot line for Surrogate's Court. So much for quality control. So much for keeping your word.
And Vito Lopez has his own legal problems. From the November, 25, 2005 NY Post via Judicial Accountability:
Instead, say the activists, Lopez for years has shacked up in a Queens condo owned by his girlfriend, Planning Commissioner Angela Battaglia, who also happens to be executive director of a housing nonprofit Lopez founded.
A spokesman confirmed that the district attorney had received the complaint, dated Oct. 24, but declined to say if an investigation has begun.
Falsifying a voter-registration address is a felony…
Property records show that the address where Lopez is registered to vote, 64 Conselyea St. in Williamsburg, is owned by a woman named Tillie Tarantino.
Tarantino is executive director of the Swinging 60s Senior Center in Greenpoint, which is funded by a Lopez-backed nonprofit…
Vito Lopez seems embroiled in corruption and cronyism on a level similar to the kind I rail at the Bush Administration and Republicans for. Considering Vito Lopez a reformer is similar to the Republicans declaring Tom DeLay’s replacement, John Boehner (R-Ohio), a reformer. It just isn’t true! I don’t believe apologists for Republican corruption and I refuse to believe apologists for Democratic corruption either. The Brooklyn Democrats are in desperate need of reform and Vito Lopez is NOT the person to do it except through his indictment for his own corruption.
Daily Gotham
Vito Lopez was an integral part of Clarence Norman’s corrupt machine, and together they did their best to ruin the career of reform-minded judge Margarita Lopez Torrez after Lopez Torres refused to appoint a crony of Vito Lopez.
From New York Civic:
Ironically, it was the actions of ex-Assemblyman and Brooklyn Democratic leader Clarence Norman, until his felony conviction in fall 2005, and Assemblyman Vito Lopez, his successor, that began the chain of circumstances that led to this decision. When Margarita Lopez-Torres was elected to a county-wide Civil Court in Brooklyn in 1993 on the recommendation of Vito Lopez, she rejected every job applicant sent to her by the county organization, including Mr. Lopez' daughter who sought employment as a law secretary. The payback for this defiance was the county's refusal to designate her for re-election when her term expired in 2003. She ran anyway, winning re-nomination in a sharply contested Democratic primary. The next year, she sought the county designation for Supreme Court Justice, which was decided by a judicial convention, not a primary. Predictably, the county organization turned her down although she was among the longest serving judges on the civil court.
In the spring of 2005 the position of Surrogate suddenly became vacant when Justice Michael Feinberg was removed for corruption by the Court of Appeals, upholding the recommendation of the Commission on Judicial Conduct. You can find details of l'affaire Feinberg on our website; just google his name. The vacancy thus created came in time to be filled by a primary. Three candidates competed, and Judge Torres won by an extremely narrow margin, some 200 votes.
And from the Daily News:
Brooklyn's ex-boss, convicted felon Clarence Norman, and its new Dem boss, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, did their best to knock Lopez Torres out of a Civil Court position and to block her from a more powerful Supreme Court seat. To her credit, Lopez Torres kept running for Supreme Court and became the public face of reform…
There's a good chance the state's party bosses will use Albany to recapture control of the judge-making machinery. (Four out of five of the city's Democratic county bosses, after all, are members of the Assembly.)
That means reform-minded political clubs and ambitious but honest lawyers need to hit the streets and start campaigning for Supreme Court - this year, while the historic window of opportunity is still open.
In addition to the cronyism that got Margarita Lopez Torrez in trouble with Vito Lopez, Vito has favored his girlfriend with lucrative development deal in 2004 and gave his girlfriend’s brother a judicial position. From Lambda Independent Democrats:
The lengthy lead story in the Real Estate section [of the NY Times] credited Lopez with sparking a massive rebuilding effort in Bushwick, way back when he was a graduate student in 1971, and then carrying it through. The story also mentioned that Angela Battaglia's agency is the developer for a $20 million component of the rebuilding effort. It even pictured Lopez and Battaglia standing together in front of new housing construction. But the story omitted that Battaglia is Lopez's girlfriend. Does that connection at least deserve mention? Might the article have explained why there was or wasn't a conflict of interest present? Was it a coincidence that Lopez's girlfriend's outfit was put in charge of the $20 million deal? Inquiring minds would like to know. It may well be that everything was done on the up-and-up. But given Lopez's tendency to do favors for his friends-for example, he helped make his girlfriend's brother Jack Battaglia a Civil Court judge-the Times should have explored the question.
And despite claims from Vito Lopez and his followers that the new boss is different from the old, not convicted, boss, so far Vito Lopez has been right there in the middle of the judicial corruption of the Norman machine.
From the Daily News:
Livin' la Vito Lopez
Declaring that he saw no evil and heard no evil, former Brooklyn Democratic boss Clarence Norman says he can speak no evil about corruption among the borough's judges. He'll not be talking to District Attorney Charles Hynes anytime soon, so hopes for quick disinfection have faded for the moment.
Just as dispiriting, party regulars chose as the convicted Norman's successor Assemblyman Vito Lopez, an old-time ward heeler from Bushwick who has never shown a zeal for reform until, gee whiz, now. He vows the party will consult a panel of learned men and women, such as Brooklyn Law School's dean, about picking quality judges.
We've seen this movie before, and the ending stinks. Two years ago, Norman and party district leaders, Lopez included, pledged they would never support a candidate for a judgeship who had not been approved by an independent screening commission. This year, for the first time, the panel reviewed Civil Court candidates.
And guess what? The party shoehorned two lawyers onto the bench without any screening. Kenny Sherman, son of district leader Roberta Sherman, will get a 10-year Civil Court term without so much as a primary. And Canarsie Assemblyman Frank Seddio was awarded an uncontested ballot line for Surrogate's Court. So much for quality control. So much for keeping your word.
And Vito Lopez has his own legal problems. From the November, 25, 2005 NY Post via Judicial Accountability:
Instead, say the activists, Lopez for years has shacked up in a Queens condo owned by his girlfriend, Planning Commissioner Angela Battaglia, who also happens to be executive director of a housing nonprofit Lopez founded.
A spokesman confirmed that the district attorney had received the complaint, dated Oct. 24, but declined to say if an investigation has begun.
Falsifying a voter-registration address is a felony…
Property records show that the address where Lopez is registered to vote, 64 Conselyea St. in Williamsburg, is owned by a woman named Tillie Tarantino.
Tarantino is executive director of the Swinging 60s Senior Center in Greenpoint, which is funded by a Lopez-backed nonprofit…
Vito Lopez seems embroiled in corruption and cronyism on a level similar to the kind I rail at the Bush Administration and Republicans for. Considering Vito Lopez a reformer is similar to the Republicans declaring Tom DeLay’s replacement, John Boehner (R-Ohio), a reformer. It just isn’t true! I don’t believe apologists for Republican corruption and I refuse to believe apologists for Democratic corruption either. The Brooklyn Democrats are in desperate need of reform and Vito Lopez is NOT the person to do it except through his indictment for his own corruption.
Daily Gotham
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Vito's Thanks for Republican Pataki's Endorsement
"HERE IS A look at some of Gov. Pataki's last-minute appointments.
Judgeships on Court of Claims, which pay $136,700 annually:
Gina Lopez Summa, the daughter of powerful Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Brooklyn), who crossed party lines to endorse Pataki. She is general counsel for the state Division of Human Rights, and her court term would end next year." - Daily News, December 13, 2006
Judgeships on Court of Claims, which pay $136,700 annually:
Gina Lopez Summa, the daughter of powerful Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Brooklyn), who crossed party lines to endorse Pataki. She is general counsel for the state Division of Human Rights, and her court term would end next year." - Daily News, December 13, 2006
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