Oversightless

As we have been saying, the feeding frenzy surrounding the alleged misdeeds of one Vito Lopez stands in sharp contrast with the virtual news blackout concerning the unprecedented illegal lobbying scheme apparently concocted by a powerful deputy mayor and, while called out by the NYS AG after three inexplicably long years, remains unpunished to this very day.

Now, as the NY Times reports, a special prosecutor has been appointed to get to the bottom of things because all of the good folks are outraged that the agreed upon settlement of the Lopez charges is insufficient-and not in the interest of justice.

This scandal has all the resonance of an Old West lynching-and guilt and innocence takes second place to the cathartic ritual of sending the violator off to his Great Reward. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, WPU is still waiting for all of the agencies of law enforcement and oversight to render justice to those who have violated our Constitutional rights. With Lopez these agencies need to take a number for a chance to have at Vito-while all of our efforts, shouted from the rooftops, have fallen on deaf ears.

A case in point is the inaction of the commissioner of investigation over at DOI-one Rose Gil Hearn. Last seen as a scourge of those who have rooked the tax payers-an avenging angel of restitution-she has yet to respond to our July 17th letter that requested the following recovery of the $450, 000 illegally funneled by EDC to Claire Shulman's LDC:

"We were buoyed by the Attorney General’s enforcement action but, at the same time, disappointed by the fact that he failed to actually sanction the illegal activity that put our property in jeopardy – failing even to insist that the LDC return the illegally advanced city taxpayer funds from NYCEDC. As a consequence of the AG’s limited enforcement effort, we believe it is incumbent on you and your agency to commence an action to recover these funds from the LDC and return them to the people of New York."

That's seven weeks and counting! As we write this, Gil Hearn is probably trying to figure out just how DOI can insinuate itself into the Lopez imbroglio. Another example of how justice is denied in NY State when the victims, property owners, don't come from a protected class.