Feds investigate City Hall AGAIN, where was SanFilippo?

[kernwatch]

There is a new front page Bflo News article about the 'volunteer emails' sent out by a top Mayoral aide in blatant violation of the Hatch Act.

SEE: http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/753357.html

A central question that has not been asked . . . Where has City Comptroller Andrew SanFilippo, often labelled 'fiscal watchdog', been while all these scandals have been brewing under his nose?

As SanFillipo has audited little of significance over several years, he battled the Mayor over the past two years about who should establish an office of "Fraud, Waste & Abuse".

SanFilippo apparently won the battle, got media attention for his 'victory', then did virtually nothing.

SanFilippo also faces re-election this year, but has apparently succeeded in warding of any opposition. That is not surprising because SanFilippo & Byron Brown use the same model of election politics . . . they have a top aide serving as in-house, taxpayer-funded campaign manager.

SanFilippo's "executive assistant" Tony Farina, who long did not even live in Erie County, does little between election cycles. He apparently just waits for the next election every four years.

No surprise that SanFilippo would not see any 'fraud, waste or abuse' in much of the goings-on in City Hall.





Here is the latest from investiagtive reporter Jim Heaney's blog:

http://blogs.buffalonews.com/outrage...city-hall.html

August 04, 2009

Another federal investigation of City Hall

Local and state employees involved in programs funded in part or whole by the federal government aren't supposed to use their positions to influence elections. Not to push for campaign contributions, not to encourage or direct subordinates to work on political campaigns. Not under the Hatch Act.

Someone forgot to tell Tanya Perrin-Johnson before she sent out a series of e-mails "encouraging" members of her staff to work on Byron Brown's re-election campaign.

Now, the federal Office of Special Counselhas opened an investigation to determine whether the e-mails represent a violation of the Hatch Act. There's no way of knowing where the investigation may lead beyond Perrin-Johnson and her e-mails if investigators put their minds to it.

For example, Dana Bobinchek, a top aide of the mayor since his days in the State Senate, was copied on the e-mails. So, one would assume, she might also be under scrutiny.

It's not just that she was copied on the Perrin-Johnson e-mails. As one of the mayor's top aides, I've got to assume she interacts with a lot of city departments, almost all of which receive federal funding. Police, Inspections. Economic Development. etc.

Or how about Jessica Magglietto, director of the CitiStat program, which tracks the performance of city departments? She's also neck deep in the mayor's campaign, among other things, as a go-to person for folks who want to contribute to the mayor's re-election campaign.

But Maglietto, Bobinchek and Perrin-Johnson, who, by the way, has lawyered up (Joel Daniels), could be small fish compared to Deputy Mayor Steve Casey.

Casey has his fingers in every pie in both City Hall and the mayor's re-election campaign, and if you don't think he isn't using his position as deputy mayor in ways that benefit the campaign, well, you don't know how the Second Floor really operates.

Mayors in many cities put some sort of firewall between their office and their campaigns. Not Byron Brown, however. He in-sources, not out-sources such work. I mean, who else has his campaign manager also function as his deputy mayor?

I'm told Perrin-Johnson and others are concerned about the e-mails because if they violate the city charter, they run the risk of prosecution on criminal charges, albeit misdemeanors. Hatch Act violations carry civil penalties -- interesting civil penalties.

If the Merit Systems Protection Board concludes there are violations of the Hatch Act, it could give the mayor two choices -- fire the guilty parties or face a loss in federal aid worth double the salaries of those involved.

The investigation by the Office of Special Counsel could do a lot to promote reform of over-the-top political activity at City Hall that existed long before Byron Brown took office. It might help advance legislation sponsored by four Common Council members that amounts to a city version of the Hatch Act that the mayor's allies on the Council so far have stymied.

Then again, if City Hall was respecting the Hatch Act, there might be much less of a case to be made for a local version.

[WNYresident]

Fire them and send a message to all political party players/political volunteers that work for us.

[WNYresident]

they have a top aide serving as in-house, taxpayer-funded campaign manager.

Is this true?

[OldTymeRevival]

Is this true?

SanFillipo has Farina and Brown has Casey. And they all use Pigeon- and with that comes Golisano. Tell me, for the uninformed it means nothing, but otherwise we still put up with it!

[JoeCitizen]

SanFillipo has Farina and Brown has Casey. And they all use Pigeon- and with that comes Golisano. Tell me, for the uninformed it means nothing, but otherwise we still put up with it!

Did Farina move into Erie County yet?

[CSense]

Did Farina move into Erie County yet?

I think he's living in Grand Island with Emerson Barr III (Executive Director Arts Commission) or quite possibly Amherst with H.McCarthy Gipson (Police Commissioner).

BARR, III, EMERSON 3305 BASELINE ROAD GRAND ISLAND, NY 14072

20.00

16-JAN-09

BROWN FOR BUFFALO

2009 JULY PERIODIC

A

Mayor

N/

GIPSON, H. MCCARTH 72 NORTHINGTON DRIVE EAST AMHERST, NY 14051

1,000.00

30-APR-09

BROWN FOR BUFFALO

2009 JULY PERIODIC

A

Mayor

N/A

[4248]

Fire them and send a message to all political party players/political volunteers that work for us.

Send a clear message to all concerned.

[Incognito]

Not that I think it is right to make employees work on campaigns, but weren't personal emails used, and not City? How could that be against the Hatch Act?

And every elected official has a political (paid) henchmen at his side. Name one that doesn't !

[kernwatch]

Tony Farina did not vote in Erie County between 11/06/01 & 9/18/07, after his third fake city address was exposed (in an empty basement apartment in Carl Paladino's 'Lafayette Hospital' Apartments).

During his extended non-voting lull, Farina served as election consultant for boxer Joe Mesi, girlie club owner RicK Snowden & a woman (name?)running for a sort of 'Mrs America'.

He also served as a regular 'sports writer' for Illuzziletter, where SanFilippo has long been an advertiser. (SanFilippo also advertises on Gramigna's pay-for-praise site).

Farina ended his nearly six years of non-voting when he claimed on Bd of Election records to have moved to 79 Sterling, a very modest two family house in N Bflo, after initially claiming to live on Bailey Ave. His registration at the apartment on Sterling is his 5th dubious address in Bflo.

Today, after a long break, Farina has resumed writing about sports on Illuzziletter.

I assume Farina has little to do, rarely writing a news release as the Comptroller's 'media man', & having apparently engineered SanFilippo's facing no opposition in his upcoming re-election.



Here once again is Farina the sports commentator, perhaps from his desk in the Comptroller's Office . . .

http://illuzziletter.com/

August 7, 2009 (tomorrow?)

IN SPORTS THE DEBATE ABOUT BEST EVER

RARELY SETTLED BUT IS STILL A LOT OF FUN

By Tony Farina

Most sports debates are never settled. For example, who was (or is) the greatest baseball player of all time? Try that one on for size at the local watering hole and the debate will rage for hours. Same thing when it comes to the greatest quarterback, or the greatest golfer.

Often, statistics, or numbers, just don’t give us a clear answer in these debates (you had to see Ty Cobb sharpening his spikes before the game or Pete Rose hustling out a base hit) and it becomes a matter of opinion, which is colored by many factors, including age and region, and opinions are hard to change.

But just for fun, I’m going to make my list of the “greatest” of all time and maybe spark some debates out there among readers of PoliticsNY.net who have a passing interest in sports. And I’m sure there are a few of you out there.

I’m going to start with baseball and admit to being old enough to have seen Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams play, along with Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. Now all four of those guys would be on any real baseball fan’s top 10 list or else the fan is too young to know better.

While I believe that a case could be made for any of the four I’ve named and many others, my selection as the greatest ever, and the player who I would want if I was starting a team, is George Herman “Babe” Ruth. The Sultan of Swat, as he was known, had the stuff to be a Hall of Fame pitcher before becoming arguably the greatest home run hitter of all time, given that he played in the dead ball era and stuffed himself with hot dogs, not steroids.

All the while he was belting out homers, Ruth managed a lifetime batting average of .340, played on possibly the greatest team ever (1927 Yankees), and was a pretty fair right fielder on many great championship teams. There were players who were better pure hitters, Ted Williams among them, but Ruth was special and he was adored by fans across the country before Sports Center was around to make .280 hitters household names.

So Babe Ruth it is, as far as I’m concerned, and no, I didn’t see him play except on film. My list, after Ruth but in no particular order, would include the four I mentioned previously and Hank Aaron, Honus Wagner, Cy Young, Pete Rose, and Lou Gehrig. Sorry, steroid boys, you didn’t make my list.

In football, Joe Montana and his four Super Bowl titles, gets my vote as the greatest ever. There were quarterbacks with better arms (Terry Bradshaw, John Elway), but with two minutes left and the game on line, I’ll take Montana. Jim Brown gets my vote as the best runner and I’ll go with Jerry Rice as the greatest receiver. Best football coach: his name is on the championship trophy, Vince Lombardi.

When it comes to golf, I’ll give Tiger Woods a slight nod over jack Nicklaus. I’ve had the pleasure to see them both in their prime, and Woods at his best has the top all-around game. But I can still see Nicklaus crouching over a six-foot putt to win a major, and knocking it in. He never seemed to miss a putt that mattered.

Michael Jordan stands out as the best player I’ve seen on the basketball court, and I would round out that team with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Now that would be the dream team of all time, wouldn’t it? My coach would be Phil Jackson, who would handle it just right.

Last but not least, I’ll mention the year 1973 and a horse by the name of Secretariat who won the Belmont Stakes by an incredible 26 lengths. There have been a lot of great horses, but it is hard to believe that there was a horse who ever lived who could have beaten Big Red on that day so long ago.

[dgrzeb]

I know City Comptroller Andrew SanFilippo on a professional AND personal level , he's a stand-up guy , doesn't partake in hanky-panky as do a majority (it seems ?) of politicians.....Andy would not condone illegal activities of ANY sort , plus he's been the best COB's Comptroller possibly ever.....Don't condemn anyone , use your opinion , but don't abuse your opinion to report it as factual....Andy has helped get our city back into the black , there was no green/red budget BS while he's been in office & will win again because of his record & he's legit , I can't speak for Farina , don't know much about the man........

[CSense]

Not that I think it is right to make employees work on campaigns, but weren't personal emails used, and not City? How could that be against the Hatch Act?

And every elected official has a political (paid) henchmen at his side. Name one that doesn't !

(1) It is assumed she used government (city) equipment (computer) to send her email. It was also sent during work hours and she was not absent. Although, she is an exempt employee, there is no indication that she took lunch, break, etc.

(2) She references work (Community Services) within her request. Asking for volunteers is one thing, having an expectation is another.

Heaney (Buffalo News) has a good link which shows "tamer" actions resulted in termination.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-11...110shrg275.pdf

read pages 36-39

Here is a link to the email....
http://media.buffalonews.com/smedia/...filiate.50.pdf