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Bloomberg Calls Truce With Morgenthau, But Some Hear Threat
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 8, 2009
Modified Dec 8, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 8, 2009
Modified Dec 8, 2009
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Long-simmering tensions between Mayor Bloomberg and undead District Attorney Robert Morgenthau boiled over last week when the mayor's office accused the DA of quietly keeping $83 million in settlements, fines and forfeitures in 62 "secret" bank accounts. One official said Morgenthau's office kept "two sets of books" in order to bypass the city’s financial review process. But Morgenthau's camp insisted the city has known about the accounts for years, and speculated that Bloomberg was actually retaliating against Morgenthau because he's frustrated that 40% of the DA's settlement money still gets kicked up to the state. Bloomberg wants it all, and Morgenthau called his tactics "chickenshit." But that was last week!
Yesterday Bloomberg told reporters, "The district attorney said he is going to have the comptroller audit all these [accounts]. As long as he's in compliance with the law, that's fine with me. We're certainly not having a battle, shouldn't be having a battle over anything else.. That should end all of this." Great, except Hizzoner also made a point of saying, "Given that we set the budget for the district attorneys, we have to know if they have other revenues... because we don't have enough money for our schools and police and fire." Catch that "we set the budget" bit? You gonna take that Morgy?
"There's been implied threats all over the place," one source familiar with both men tells the Daily News. "They said, one way or another, we'll get the money." The Manhattan DA's office gets 82 percent of its $91 million budget from city taxpayers, but last year turned over $119 million in settlement money to the state, and $181 million to the city. Morgenthau argues that the DA needs to maintain independence from city politics (hence the separate bank accounts), and hates that the Mayor thinks he can slash his budget, so hopefully there'll be more.
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district attorney
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morgenthau
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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