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Queens Library Gets Caught Up in Flier Craziness
By
Dave Hogarty
Published Dec 13, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Dave Hogarty
Published Dec 13, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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The Queens Library system apparently loves Mayor Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn, because it's distributing fliers touting their praises. Quinn recently championed a Council bid to prevent members from using taxpayer funds to self-campaign, but one can't always control fans one has in the library system. From the NY Sun:
Sensitivity to the use of public funds to promote elected officials is high at City Hall, with the council approving a new set of rules last month barring members from using public funds to purchase self-promoting advertisements. The change occurred after a report from an advocacy group found council members spent $927,507 in public funding on advertisements during a five-and-a-half-year stretch between July 2001 and December 2006.
So it was all on the up-and-up, in case you were wondering. The Queens ads are praising city politicians for keeping libraries open six days a week.
Last month, City Council members were criticized for using taxpayer funds to promote themselves by publicizing taxpayer-initiated projects and events. Quinn agreed that the practice was somewhat pernicious and should be outlawed. The 16,000 fliers, 9,000 of which were mailed directly to library supporters, don't count as taxpayer-funded campaign materials, so Quinn and the Mayor are technically in the clear, but the Citizens' Union's Dick Dadey said the flier "goes beyond what is necessary. This is definitely more than what is appropriate."
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