“Back in 2008, a federal investigation revealed that the City Council had been giving money from the Council’s budgeted discretionary funds to fictitious organizations since 2001. The revelation was particularly embarrassing for Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who had been an advocate for increased transparency in the city budget process.”

“Among the dozens of fabricated groups that were slated to receive funds were the Immigration Improvement Project of New York” ($300,000), the “Coalition for a Strong Special Education” ($400,000) and the “American Association of Concerned Veterans” ($422,763). The total amount set aside in 2007 and 2008 for the fake organizations . . .was $4.7 million.”

“City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, self-proclaimed champion of open government and would-be successor to Mayor Bloomberg, has a new title: Queen of the Slush Funds.  Quinn acknowledged Thursday her office hid millions of dollars in the city budget during 2007 and 2008 under the names of some 30 bogus nonprofit groups.”

“Quinn … has tried to make open government a hallmark of her agenda. With federal and city investigators now looking into the fake funding and other council finance issues, she could end up paying the political consequences.”

“City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s office hid millions of taxpayer dollars by allocating grants to phantom organizations as a way of holding the funds to dole out for political favors later.”