Melissa Mark-Viverito
Seabrook is back, and he wants his money
Former New York City Councilman Larry Seabrook was indicted in 2010 by the feds on corruption charges and convicted on nine felony counts in July 2012 for steering hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money into the pockets of his girlfriend and family members. Seabrook was sentenced to five years in prison, with a release date set for July 14 of this year.
Pero, according to a bochinchero friend he’s already out. “He’s going to be quiet. All he wants is his pension.” What? I asked the bochinchero, as the noise of the speeding No. 4 train making its way from Grand Central Terminal to the 14 St.-Union Square stop made it difficult for me to hear. “You know Preet (Bharara) took it away from him and that ain’t right.”
The bochinchero overlooked the fact that in September 2016, an appeals court ruled that Seabrook had to forfeit his taxpayer-funded pension in order to pay back the $418,252 owed from his conviction on fraud charges. Seabrook represented the 12th City Council District in the Bronx and also served in the Assembly and state Senate, which seems to be good training ground for corrupt pols.
RELATED: What's Melissa Mark-Viverito doing next?
MMV as political piñata?
District leader races are so local and insider baseball – or, as an amigo refers to them, “a fly on a horse’s ass” – that most people don’t know or care who their female or male district leader is. But the race in Manhattan’s 68C, where New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito is the female district leader, may turn out to be one for the ages. The consensus among some of the speaker’s enemigos is that defeating the term-limited pol in this race gets her out of active politics for good. “She’s never been a strong vote-getter,” said one bochinchero who lives in the district. “Count me on that one,” said a citywide political operative bochinchoso who says he’s been hurt by Mark-Viverito’s “nastiness.” The buzz is that they’re talking about uniting behind one candidate to defeat Mark-Viverito, which, of course, is naive thinking. They may be lining up against her, but conociendo a Melissa, I bet she already has her plan in motion. She must’ve already figured out that they'll be gunning for her and is ready to do battle. MMV probably already has a sign with her photo that reads: “Bring it on, pendejos.”
The Greek Cubana from Staten Island
Buzz abounds as to whether Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis is serious about running for alcalde or if the rumors are just a ploy to get her name known for a boroughwide or congressional run. However, the Republican has already gone on the record saying she’s seriously considering it. “A lot of people don't know she’s half Cubana,” a bochinchero from Brooklyn said. The thinking is that once Republicans find out, it will be a strike against her in a primary. On the other hand, one politico who attended the gathering of National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators in Hawaii in December said: “I saw her in action in Hawaii. No es una floja.” (She’s not a pushover.) According to another bochinchero, “She caucused the Republican minority effectively.” Veremos what she’s made of when immigrant rights activists start showing up at her events to challenge her anti-immigrant pronouncements.
Monserrate is coming back to City Hall
Well, at least to the steps of City Hall for more press conferences.
The disgraced Queens politico isn’t going to let his feeble denouncement of City Hall’s plan to sell 23 acres near Citi Field to developers for $1 – which he says doesn’t provide enough affordable housing – deter his campaign against New York City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland. “It was bad luck that Karla was in court that day,” an insider bochinchero amigo of Hiram Monserrate told B&B. The Hiramistas didn’t know that his ex-girlfriend Karla Giraldo Barba – whom Monserrate was convicted of assaulting in 2009 – had appeared in Queens court about an hour before the press conference on charges that she allegedly attacked her current novio with a sword last June. Apparently, Monserrate was unfazed by the legal drama involving his ex. “He’s got a lot to say about how City Hall works and the current budget process.” According to the bochinchero, “Hiram will be back.”