SquarePegDem's Blog

Gannett reports:

[State Sen. Greg] Ball showed that he spent $25,000 in May 21 on high-profile New York City attorney Joseph Tacopina. He announced May 16 he would not seek re-election.

Ball spent $2,860 on a poll in February and then another $3,000 on a poll May 5, the filings with the state Board of Elections showed.

Ball has criticized media reports that suggested his campaign spending is under review by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s office.

Read more => http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2014/07/22/in-campaign-filing-ball-details-spending-from-nearly-seven-years-ago/

Michael Benjamin

Michael Blake’s run for a corruption-plagued South Bronx seat in the state Assembly may be turning out to be “historic” for the wrong reasons, former state Assemblyman Michael Benjamin writes in the NY Post: http://goo.gl/8m5wDw

Michael Blake’s run for a corruption-plagued South Bronx seat in the state Assembly may be turning out to be “historic” for the wrong reasons.
A former top operative for Barack Obama going back to the 2008 Democratic primaries, Blake is running for the seat that Eric Stevenson vacated after being convicted of bribery in January. But his own efforts to stand for “hope and change” — and for the people of the district — are looking a little ragged.
Blake recently bragged on Facebook about the “record-setting and historic” $160,000 he’d raised. But he’s rumored to be getting help some odd places. Is Johannesburg, not Jersey City, the sixth borough? Why Johannesburg?
Well, that’s where US Ambassador Patrick Gaspard calls home. And Blake is a protégé of Gaspard, who once headed the Democratic National Committee and the political-action arm of powerhouse union 1199 SEIU.
Some Bronx Democrats are accusing Gaspard of calling his pals at 1199 SEIU urging their support of Blake — and, indeed, the union endorsed him Friday.
Gaspard already stands accused of violating the federal Hatch Act, which limits the political activity of federal employees. GOP operative O.B. Murray says he learned that Gaspard advised Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-Harlem) during his recent heated primary campaign.
In June, the White House Office of Special Counsel cleared Gaspard of violating the Hatch Act. But Murray notes that the State Department is still investigating because it has stricter rules regarding political activity.
Meanwhile, for all his celebrity status as a former Obama campaign staffer and White House aide, Blake needs to shore up his community base.
Hours after his Facebook post about his 3,087 petition signatures and “record-setting” war chest, word broke that Blake had broken promises to local leaders.
Bronx Democratic bosses learned that he had assembled a slate of community leaders to challenge their district leaders and state committee members.
He quickly got a disapproving call from party adviser Patrick Jenkins. Blake says Jenkins told him that running for the Assembly was one thing, but running an opposing slate was a declaration of war.
Blake said he was shocked at the audacity of the Jenkins upbraiding. But shock soon turned into compliance, as the Blake campaign severed ties with his reform slate and filed nominating petitions for his candidacy alone.
Rev. Bruce Rivera, the Blake-recruited candidate for district leader, says he doesn’t feel bitter and continues to support Blake’s Assembly bid. But other members of the slate were outraged by his betrayal.
Asked for comment, Blake campaign spokesman Aaron Carr e-mailed: “After discussion amongst the members of the slate we felt it was in the best interest of all the campaigns not to file together.”
A Bronx operative fresh off of Rep. Rangel’s primary victory thought it was important for Blake to have local leaders on his team.
But this betrayal of his own slate could bring its own problems, he says, since “[Blake] doesn’t need negative word of mouth.”
Like many, he can’t see why Blake would curry favor with County, as the local power­brokers are known.
I circled back with Carr, the Blake spokesman, to ask whose best interests were served by the candidate splitting from his slate. The answer: “We are staying with our original comment.”
Community activist Camella Price says locals are viewing Blake as a con artist. “Many are saying that if he’s doing this now, what can we expect when he’s in office?”
Blake may need to use every penny in his $160,000 war chest and all the luminescence of his Obama wattage to win over voters who are growing alienated by his style and actions.

Follow Michael Benjamin at: http://SquarePegDem.com/; Twitter: @SquarePegDem

Synopsis of 79AD (Bronx) campaign finance reports:

George Alvarez – Contributions: $41,171; Expenditures: $15,912; Cash on-hand: $25,239

• Much of Alvarez’s contributions were raised from Upper Manhattan, Bronx and 79AD

• Notable donors

• E. Alvarez, $4000 and A. Acosta, $4000 – both reside at 807 Elton Av, Bronx

• F. Batista, $4000

• D. Sena, $3500

• C. Encarnacion, $2400; also residing at 807 Elton Av, Bronx

• R. Tallaj, $2000

• F. Tavares, $1000

• Christian Multiservices (Manhattan), $500

Notable expenditures

• $7000 in unitemized spending

• $5000 on lawyers, Maldonado & Cruz PC – 181 E 161st Street, Bronx

• $3500 on petitions, Rafael Vega

Marsha Michael – Amt raised: $32,929; Amt spent: $10,019; Cash on-hand: $22,909 (Favored candidate of the Bronx County Democratic organization)

• over 60% donations from LLCs, PACs and Bronx elected officials

• Trial lawyers, $4000

• Bronx County Democrats, $12,100

• only 18 Bronx donors; 1 donor from the 79AD

Notable expenditures

• Benny Catala (campaign mgr), $2065

• Jesus Ocasio (petitions), $2000

• LJW Community Strategies (consultant), $1,000

Raul Rodriguez – Amt raised: $1971; Amt spent: 1998; Cash on-hand, $2.31

**In a telephone interview, Rodriguez claimed an incomplete filing; claims $7,300 cash on-hand

• Notable contributions

• Rodriguez loaned his campaign, $553.91

• Eighteen Bronx donors; two from the 79 AD

Notable expenditures

• Virtual PBX phone service (web-based), $1000

Frederic Ricks – No disclosure filing made as of July 15 (SBOE)

Latina Jones – No disclosure filing made as of July 15 (SBOE)

Follow Michael Benjamin at

@SquarePegDem
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Read his columns in the NY Post and City and State NY.

http://m.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/feds-convicted-ny-sen-pedro-espada-full-pension-blog-entry-1.1865533

The Daily News Ken Lovett reported:

Disgraced former state Sen. Pedro Espada has now lost his entire pension.A judge in June ordered that 25% of Espada’s $612 monthly pension be garnished to help collect the $118,981 Espada owes the Internal Revenue Service.

And last week, state Controller Thomas DiNapoli’s office last week received another federal court order to withhold the remaining 75% to help satisfy a $368,088 criminal forfeiture judgement against the crook convicted crook.

Espada, 60, was sentenced in 2013 to five years for plundering funds from his Bronx health clinic and tax evasion.

Michael Benjamin