Gilgo Beach serial killer was recently a consultant for the NYC DOB

Check out this interview with Rex Heuermann, the accused Gilgo Beach Long Island serial killer who owned an architectural firm in Manhattan.

The interview took place around a year ago at his office pic.twitter.com/JxsVtRDKRD

— Andrew Talbot (@AndrewTalbotUSA) July 14, 2023

City paid consulting firm to manipulate the violence statistics at Rikers Island with shady and unethical tech methods

 

Propublica

In April 2017, partners from McKinsey & Company sent a confidential final report to the New York City corrections commissioner. They had spent almost three years leading an unusual project for a white-shoe corporate consulting firm like McKinsey: Attempting to stem the tide of inmate brawls, gang slashings and assaults by guards that threatened to overwhelm the jail complex on Rikers Island.

The report recounted that McKinsey had tested its new anti-violence strategy in what the firm called “Restart” housing units at Rikers. The results were striking. Violence had dropped more than 50% in the Restart facilities, the McKinsey partners wrote.

The number was bogus. Jail officials and McKinsey consultants had jointly rigged the Restart program in its earliest phase to all but guarantee there would be few violent episodes, according to documents and interviews. They stacked the units with inmates they believed to be compliant and unlikely to get into fights or to attack staff.

Publicly, McKinsey and top corrections officials touted the drop in violence in these units as an early sign of their project’s success — without disclosing that they had tilted the scale in favor of that result. After McKinsey handed off the inmate selection process, about a year into the firm’s work at Rikers, jail officials continued to manipulate the population of the Restart units to keep their violence numbers low.

In October of this year, the New York City Council voted to approve Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposal to close Rikers. The vote occurred during the same month that a federal monitor, appointed by a court to oversee reform at Rikers, revealed that violence by jail guards there continues to worsen. Overall, using the metrics employed by McKinsey, jailhouse violence has risen nearly 50% since the firm began its assignment.

The full story of how New York City came to pay McKinsey $27.5 million only to abandon many of the firm’s recommendations and decide to shut Rikers has never been told. A ProPublica investigation, based on interviews with 36 people, half of whom worked directly on the project, as well as more than 10,000 pages of project documents, internal emails and other records, reveals that problems dogged the project at every stage.

Among the issues that plagued the project: McKinsey, which had never before advised a jail or prison system, made data errors that further undercut the results it reported from Restart units. The firm also persuaded the Department of Correction to spend millions on the sorts of advanced data analytics favored by McKinsey’s corporate clients. The department never ended up using many of the those data products, some of which simply did not work very well.

What happened at Rikers is a cautionary tale of a public-sector consulting boom that has emerged over the past decade. In recent years, government agencies across the United States have entrusted management consultants with more and more facets of public administration, from designing school systems to shaping Medicaid policy. Public-sector consulting in North America is a more than $9 billion industry, with an average yearly growth rate of about half a billion dollars, according to ALM Intelligence, which monitors the consulting business. McKinsey was anxious to expand into a potentially lucrative branch of public-sector work, corrections consulting, according to a former McKinsey consultant who worked on the project.

As I am sure you all are aware, and this is mostly directed to the residents of Kew Gardens, Mott Haven, Boerum Hill and Chinatown, this report was used to justify closing Rikers. 

In the future, who will they contract to study and manipulate the data after the four borough tower jails get built?

Gentrification trolley has already cost taxpayers a pretty penny

From the NY Post:

There’s not a single rail in the ground, but the mayor’s plan to create a trolley along the Brooklyn waterfront has already cost the city at least $7 million in taxpayer money, The Post has learned.

That’s the current price tag on a delayed feasibility study — spearheaded by the consulting firms KPMG and WSP — that will determine whether the controversial project is even plausible.

Economic Development Corp. officials had initially said the review would be completed in the fall of 2017, but this week they wouldn’t put a timeline on its release.

BDB looking to hire Rikers closure consultants

From Metro:

Mayor Bill de Blasio officially began the process of shuttering Rikers Island on Thursday by issuing a request for proposal to develop an action plan to close the controversial jail complex and find alternate solutions.

“We have a moral obligation to close down Rikers Island and transition to a smaller, safer and fairer jail system,” the mayor said. “To make that a reality, we’ll be looking at where we can create more off-island space by expanding existing buildings or finding new sites and maintaining an honest dialogue with communities and elected officials.

“We’re moving aggressively on the long road to closing Rikers Island, and this is a crucial step forward,” he added.

The consultant will work with the city’s goal to operate detention facilities that go beyond confinement by providing behavioral, health, developmental and re-entry support for inmates, as well as offer improved access for service providers, lawyers, visitation and transportation to court.

Proposals will be due in mid-December with the consultant chosen in early January, the mayor’s office said, adding that “there will be robust community consultation workshops and engagement with neighborhood residents.”

De Blasio campaign fined for financial shenanigans

From the Observer:

The city’s Campaign Finance Board slapped Mayor Bill de Blasio this afternoon with $47,778 in penalties for an array of violations connected with his 2013 campaign—including verboten post-election expenses, travel costs for his son and “makeup services” for his family.

His biggest fine was $21,159 for making impermissible post-election expenditures. In a summary of its final determination for the de Blasio, the board said that the campaign paid Hilltop Public Solutions $168,750 for post-election services, $116,250 of which they said are improper post-election expenses.

The mayor’s campaign said that Hilltop served as its general consultant and that it was qualified to oversee the initial post-election “winding down work” as well as the “final winding down” work—and cited the hiring of Bill Hyers as contributing to the firm’s “unique” qualifications. The campaign also said the firm was paid on an as-needed basis as opposed to a standard monthly retainer so the fees paid under contract are nominal.

Hyers is one of the five infamous “agents of the city” whose email correspondence with the administration de Blasio has refused to release—even in the face of lawsuits from the press.

But the board said that the campaign failed to provide ample documentation and explanations outlining the responsibilities, work product and other services Hilltop provided.

The next biggest fine was $12,483 for accepting over-the-limit contributions, followed by $6,086 for accepting contributions from corporations, limited liability companies or partnerships and $3,200 for failing to demonstrate compliance with intermediary reporting and documentation requirements.

He was also fined for $2,087 for failing to file/late filing of daily pre-election disclosure statements and $1,000 for accepting contributions from unregistered political committees.

Other smaller penalties were $407 for failing to report transactions, $300 for failing to document transactions and $250 for commingling with campaign funds accepted for a different election.

The mayor was also fined $806 for failing to demonstrate that spending was in furtherance of the campaign. In particular, the board notes $550 spent on makeup services for de Blasio and his family on Election Night, which his campaign descried as a legitimate expense because it was meant to prepare them for their scheduled televised public campaign appearances “at a likely victory celebration.” But the board stated that using campaign funds for “personal grooming” is prohibited.

Media takes de Blasio to court over withheld FOIL documents

From NY1:

Mayor de Blasio may have to go to court to defend City Hall's decision to withhold e-mails between the Mayor and his outside advisors, known as "agents of the city."

NY1 News and the New York Post filed suit against the mayor Thursday over the administration's refusal to release messages exchanged between de Blasio, his top aides, and an outside consultant, Jonathan Rosen.

Rosen is one of five outside advisors to de Blasio whom City Hall has given special status. His consulting firm represents many clients with business before the city.

It was that easy

From DNA Info:

Two former advisers to Mayor Bill de Blasio who left City Hall for a political consulting firm were granted permission to continue working with the mayor on behalf of his nonprofit, which is now under federal investigation, despite a one-year ban on doing so, DNAinfo New York has learned.

Rebecca Katz, a special adviser to de Blasio, left in April 2015 to work for Hilltop Public Solutions. Hayley Prim, a policy analyst for Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, left City Hall in March 2015, also to join Hilltop.

They received a June 10, 2015, Conflict of Interests Board waiver to work for the Campaign for One New York, de Blasio's nonprofit focused on promoting his political agenda, before the city's one-year prohibition expired.

Good government groups and political experts say the arrangement shows how easily paid consultants and advisers move in and out of de Blasio's City Hall.

Fraudulent company head going to the pokey

From Crains:

The head of a consulting company that faked safety inspections on dozens of construction sites in the city will spend up to three years in state prison, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced Tuesday.

Richard Marini, 62, ran a company called Avanti Building Consultants, which was supposedly staffed with licensed safety managers who could inspect building sites. But not only were Marini's inspectors unlicensed, according to Vance, they also had no experience in construction safety at all, in most cases.

Marini scoured Craigslist and paid bellhops, musicians and short-order cooks to simply sign off on safety logs in their own names, or forge the names of licensed safety inspectors—one of whom was dead. Avanti Building Consultants inspected about 40 sites.

On second thought...

From Gotham Gazette:

Two days after announcing that he would be joining a consulting firm as a partner while retaining his seat in the New York State Assembly, Michael Blake has changed his mind.

"I've decided that the clear priority is and always has been the constituents of my district, and I'm not going to allow anything to distract from that. I'm not going to be a partner at Hilltop," Blake told Gotham Gazette Sunday evening, meaning Hilltop Public Solutions, the consulting firm.

"I'm not going to let the noise that's been out there continue," he added, referring to the immediate negative response that the announcement garnered from good government advocates and in the media. "I'm not going to let this be a distraction for the people. I want to be focused on the work and focused on my family."

Assembly Member and a consultant at the same time

From DNA Info:

On the same day one of the most powerful lawmakers in the state was convicted of selling his office, Bronx Assemblyman Michael Blake announced he was taking a job with an influential political consulting firm.

Blake will join Hilltop Public Solutions as a partner, the firm announced in a press release Friday afternoon.

"I am excited to be joining Hilltop,” Blake said in the release, which did not mention he was an Assemblyman. “I look forward to working with the team and helping as we focus on progressive issues around the country.”

Blake, in a telephone interview, said there is no conflict of interest between his two jobs because he will work only on national and international projects for Hilltop. He said the release did not mention his role as an elected official because he wanted to make it clear the two aren't related.

"No conflict at all," said Blake who said the position was approved by the legislative ethics commission. "I understand the sensitivity," he added.

Consultants may be considered lobbyists soon

From the Daily News:

A slew of prominent communications firms may be forced to register as lobbyists under a proposal by the state ethics commission.

The plan would force private consulting groups that have helped craft messages for lobbying efforts to register with the state. Until now, their activities have not been considered lobbying.

Under a proposed advisory opinion by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, a person or firm would be required to publicly disclose their activities with the state if they helped set up a meeting with a public official, had direct interaction with an official in connection with an advocacy campaign, or provided substantive or strategic input on both the content and delivery of a message.

The Joint Public Commission on Public Ethics is seeking comments through Dec. 4 on its proposal. At some point after that, the commission will decide whether to approve it.

How convenient!

From CBS:

Mayor Bill de Blasio has outside political consultants who have been paid upwards of $2 million during his first 18 months in office.

The bill though, is not paid by taxpayers. Instead, nonprofit Campaign For One New York is footing the bill, WCBS 880’s Rich Lamb reported.

Its donors include real estate developers and union leaders, and there are no contribution limits, according to Citizen Union Executive Dick Dadey.

Dadey said that the practice is legal because there have been no laws passed to define what he called ‘a very serious conflict of interest.’

US being screwed out of jobs

From the Daily News:

Paragons of American corporate citizenship are perverting an immigration program that was designed to boost the country’s high-tech economy.

The U.S. Department of Labor has let businesses as prominent as Walt Disney World and Toys R Us use a special category of work-related visas not only to cut costs but to send jobs overseas.

President Obama wants immigration reform? It’s never going to happen this way.

So-called H-1B visas are intended to admit into the U.S. highly educated, highly skilled workers whose talents are desperately needed. For example, a company may apply to bring computer engineers from abroad if it cannot find enough of them in America. That, at least. was the theory.

Now, it turns out that consultants that specialize in helping companies move operations overseas are securing most of the 85,000 H-1B visas issued annually — and are using them to help eliminate jobs wholesale.

With calculating cruelty, the consulting firms obtain visas and bring workers in to copycat the tasks of U.S. workers slated, whether they know it or not, for the unemployment line.

When the knowledge download is done, the visa workers fly back overseas, often to India, to train their countrymen to join the company payroll at a much cheaper rate.

Bowne House visitors center being designed

From the Times Ledger:

The long-awaited visitor’s center for the historic Bowne House in Flushing is currently in its design phase, according to the city Department of Parks and Recreation.

The 1,250-square-foot center, which will be on the southeast corner of the property and face the 17th century house, located at 37-01 Bowne St., will consist of a gallery and education space, accessible restrooms and an office for the administration of the property.

The center’s location on the southeast corner is intended to limit views of the center from Bowne Street and allow for views of the house from inside the new gallery space.

The Parks Department said it anticipates having a final design for the center by early fall.

The department initially planned to break ground on the center this spring but decided to hire specialized consultants given that the project is taking place on a historically sensitive site, a Parks spokeswoman said.

Lobbying ethics bill unveiled in Albany

From the Observer:

Following through on a promise he made last month, State Senator Tony Avella unveiled a bill today that would force political consultants to register and report their activities like lobbyists.

Mr. Avella, a Queens Democrat, said he was inspired by a NY1 report on the growing influence of BerlinRosen, a consulting and communications group that counts Mayor Bill de Blasio as a client, to craft the bill.

“In this time of declining public trust in elected officials, it has become vital that consultants are subject to similar disclosure mandates that lobbyists already follow,” Mr. Avella said in a statement. “By revealing these lobbyists in consultants’ clothing, we can continue to rebuild New Yorkers’ confidence in government.”

Mr. Avella, the chair of the Senate Ethics Committee and a part of the five-member breakaway Democratic bloc known as the Independent Democratic Conference, said his bill would apply to public relations, strategic communications and campaign consulting firms earning more than $5,000.

The bill would require these consultants to register and report their client relationships, similar to mandates that already exist for lobbyists. It would also require annual registration and bi-monthly reporting by consultants, which would be monitored and reviewed by the Joint Commission on Public Ethics. Penalties for failure to report or false reporting would include criminal charges as well as potential civil fines starting at $25,000.

Avella eyeing behavior of consulting firms

From the Observer:

State Senator Tony Avella, a Queens Democrat, said today he will push legislation that would require disclosure for all political consulting firms that have “substantial contact” with both elected officials and other clients.

Mr. Avella, reacting to a NY1 story about the significant influence the consulting firm BerlinRosen has on City Hall, said he would want these firms to disclose their activities like registered lobbyists already do.

“The fact of the matter is that these firms are meeting with government officials, all the while advocating their outside clients’ interests,” Mr. Avella, the chair of the Senate Ethics Committee, said in a statement. “Whether these firms are directly making requests of elected officials or not, they are in a position to broker agreements, expedite client meetings, and influence decision-makers.”

Mr. Avella noted he already backs legislation that would separate the activity of lobbyists and political consultants–the bill appears unlikely to pass either chamber–and said it’s “high time” to review laws regulating the activities of consulting firms, who critics say perform some of the same duties as lobbyists without having to register with the government.

“It is high time that we review the law regulating these activities and I am committed to developing legislation that would require disclosure for all firms that have substantial contact with both elected officials and outside clients,” Mr. Avella added.

City seeks consultant for Sunnyside Railyard study

Photo from the Real Deal

From the Daily News:

Despite opposition from Gov. Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio is going full steam ahead with his plan to convert a Queens rail yard into affordable housing.

The city on Friday asked for consultants to bid on conducting a “feasibility study” on the Sunnyside Yards project.

De Blasio — who has vowed to create 200,000 units of affordable housing over 10 years — wants to build a Stuyvesant Town-style affordable housing complex on the roughly 200-acre site. It would be a mix of city, state and Amtrak-owned land, with 11,250 units.

Hours after the mayor announced the proposal last month, Cuomo said the state land wasn’t up for grabs because it’s used by the MTA.

The feasibility study the city plans will initially examine only the city and Amtrak-owned sections, but the document is written to include the state-owned parts of the land if Cuomo changes his mind.

At the moment, it doesn’t appear he will.

Folks, these projects are always about getting consultants paid and nothing more. I suspect that's the case here as well.

John Liu's questionable filings

"I was looking at John Liu's filings and I noticed something weird with regard to Chuck Apelian. Chuck's occupation is listed as a Sales Executive at Irene Hermann Incorporated/Prestone Printing.

If you notice, the corporation and Chuck have the same address. The biggest question is why is the corporation getting $5K for consulting twice when it's a printing company?

Irene Hermann Incorporated got $5,000 for consulting on July 21st and the address is 145-30 29 Road which is Chuck's address.

On August 11th, "Irene Hermann Incorporated" was reimbursed $420 for buttons and it's Chuck's home address again.

Then 7 days later, Chuck gets reimbursed over a thousand dollars for office supplies at the same address.

On August 21st, Irene Hermann Incorporated got $5,000 for consulting fees.

I am confused who exists at 145-30 29th Road, Chuck or the corporation or both? This is a single family home." - Sad about the state of Queens

(Ha! And the Vice Chair of Queens CB7 running a political campaign isn't a conflict-of-interest or anything.)

But wait, that's not all! Let's see who else Johnny has on his payroll:

Sharon Lee, who agreed to turn state's evidence against Jenny Hou and Oliver Pan in return for immunity.

Chung Seto, who ran his shady campaign - and his office as an unpaid staffer - a conflict of interest.

Mei Hua Ru, a former aide to John, who likes using mafia terms.

But I'm sure John Liu would bring a breath of fresh air to Albany if elected...

The money pit has no bottom

From the Daily News:

In April, an obscure quasi-governmental agency called the NYC Technology Development Corp. hired a consultant to map out the implementation of the city’s new municipal ID card.

The firm, Gartner Inc., was awarded a no-bid $350,000 contract to get the controversial ID cards ready to go by the end of the year.

There was only one problem — a year earlier, the city controller had red-flagged Gartner for what he called “questionable spending and dubious timesheets” on another city tech project that had ballooned to $25 million.

What made the Gartner selection even more puzzling was that it mirrors a tactic that led to the notorious CityTime scandal — hiring an outside consultant to make sure an important taxpayer-funded tech job is completed on time and without waste.

The Feds have been brought in

From the Daily News:

Thomas Galante, embattled director of the Queens Library, is facing a criminal probe by the FBI, federal prosecutors and the city’s Department of Investigation, the Daily News has learned.

The first sign of the joint probe came Friday when agents for the FBI and DOI suddenly appeared at the Queens Central Library in Jamaica with subpoenas for both Galante and the library’s construction management consultant, Frank Marino, according to a library source.

Marino, owner of Advanced Consulting Corp. in Merrick, L.I., has received contracts to manage 15 Queens Library improvement projects since 2008.

The probe appears to center on how Galante — who received more than $390,000 in salary last year, plus a city-supplied $37,000 sports car — spent millions in taxpayer dollars on various library renovations, a second source said.

Representatives for both the FBI and DOI declined comment. And Queens library officials did not respond to repeated emails and phone calls from The News.