Member Items Still About Who You Know
Even in these days of increased transparency when it comes to the City Council's appropriation of member items, the process remains, unavoidably, one that rewards people who know people.
For example, the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, a non-profit group whose executive director, William Rapfogel, is married to the Assembly Speaker's chief of staff, Judy Rapfogel, got $556,250 in member items this year.
The Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Center, a group founded and closely associated with Vito Lopez, an Assemblyman and Brooklyn Democratic County Leader, got $658,089 in member items.
In the comments section of my original post on these member items, Mendy points out that Leib Glantz, a politically active Satmar rabbi, is a big winner because his group, UJCare, got a $200,000 member item to fund "a variety of services."
Another commenter notes that Domenic Recchia asked for $15,000 for the Kings Highway Beautification Association, a group linked to his longtime friend Joe Sitt, the wave-making developer trying to remake Coney Island.
More to come.
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It's outrageous that Willie Wrapfogel makes $500,000 plus a year from government funds. Somebody should publish a list of the top publicly funded CEO's. I'm sure Wrapfogel is the # 1 paid non-profit CEO with PUBLIC FUNDS in America!
Wille Rapfogel is engaged in highly speculative politics that are ripe with potential conflicts of interests. The fact that Judy Rapfogel, who is married to Willie funnels millions of dollars to the met council is suspicious.
Willie also used his power to have Chris Quinn and the Council hire his nephew - Kenny - who decided to leave after 9 months and get someone else fired on charges of anti-semitism.
Stop crying and posting pure crap. It might work if the salaries of CEOs of non-profits were not published but they are and he does not make that much.
As someone who has personally been helped by the met council i would like to thank all of the people whether in government or in the private sector who help them do such amazing things for those in need.
As for manhattancrybaby what good have you done for anyone else? Maybe you should go volunteer at met council ive done it for a day and its very rewarding.
I work for a non-profit for a FIVE FIGURE salary. I work twelve hours a day. I'd be HAPPY to take WRAPFOGEL'S half-a-million dollar job and help my self...um, I mean the people. - MM
And on the third day Rapfogel said "let there be light" and there was light. It's amazing how powerful you make him out o be. If it's true then great that would mean even more people are being helped by him and his organization.
You people are rediculous already. A bunch of anti semites spewing the same old garbage about the Jews running everything. pure bull crap. you people should be ashamed of yourselves. There are so many nasty and corrupt organizations out there and you choose to pick on one of the few good ones.
To the previous poster please dont invite people like these to work or volunteer at a place like met council its only for good people not jealous wannabes.
You're right 2:37 manhattancrybaby forget what i said obviously you have your hands full pretending to work for a non-profit. good luck with that buddy.
I worked with Kenny in the City Council. He never said anything racist. Just because his Uncle Willie got him the job doesn't mean he wasn't qualified. Kenny was a nice guy. It's too bad that he left under such a controversy.
UJO of Williamsburg, did get over $200,000 this year, even his old org did not file with the AG charity division.
His IRS liens did not stop the city council from allocating him year after year thousands of dollars.
As recent as today he has over $100,000 in NYS judgements, and did not file with the IRS yet.
Overseeing a budget with millions a year, is the best opprotunity for mis appropiate funds when there is no filings and no accountibility.
Menashe
Hey chuckie you ani semetic piece of crap. take your garbage elsewhere youre a moron.
menashe what the hell are you talking about. english buddy, you need to learn it.
menashe what the hell are you talking about. english buddy, you need to learn it.
Rapfogel and his friends should stop posting comments about anti-semitism. That's a silly smoke-screen. No one is questioning that the Met Council is doing good work for New Yorkers. What people are legitamitely questioning is: should their CEO, William Rapfogel, get paid over $500,000 a year with public funds? That seems like a large salary for anyone working in the not-for-profit sector. It seems like all of the city-council's allocation is going to pay for Rapfogel's salary. Is that a good use of taxpayer funds? After all, our Governor makes $179,000 a year and manages the entire state!
Smartman you are obviously a moron. If you had taken a second you would see that the number you are posting is totally off so next time you post something have some facts you pathetic lowlife.
It is shocking that the New York Observer, or any other so-called "respected" website would allow the virulent anti-semitism and erroneous information about individual compensation (check out Guidestar)to be put on the Politicker without any screening or editing.
The nature of the comments on this blog are malicious and intentionally misleading and the person who is maligned should seek legal counsel to pursue a remedy in the courts.
It is shocking that the New York Observer, or any other so-called "respected" website would allow the virulent anti-semitism and erroneous information about individual compensation (check out Guidestar)to be put on the Politicker without any screening or editing.
The nature of the comments on this blog are malicious and intentionally misleading and the person who is maligned should seek legal counsel to pursue a remedy in the courts.
Let's be clear. The one person who made an anti-semitic comment is an idiot. By all means sue him. Although, I imagine that his idiocy is protected by the first ammendement of the constitution. As for the comments on Mr. Rapfogels pay, those are factual and therefore there is no legal remedy. I can't imagine that Mr. Rapfogel would want to sue so that everyone in New York can confirm what astute commentators already know: Mr. Rapfogel is among the highest paid non-profit CEO's in New York.
Hey trial lawyer, why dont you check your facts. the post before just told you to check guidestar if you want to see salaries. your obviously not a lawyer because any self respecting lawyer would check facts before saying something.
youre just some moron who never realized his dreams.
Actually, I am a trial lawyer and I did look at their IRS form 990 and this is exactly what I found:
William Rapfogel - $408,093
Herb Friedman - $198,617
Peter Brest - $188,050
Ilene Marcus - $150,130
Those are extraordinary salaries for people being paid with public funds. Here's the best part: according to the Met Council these are 35-hour-a-week jobs! Finally, these are only their 2006 salaries (the latest information publicly available). It's a safe assumption that they have all since received raises!
I think it's extraordinary that out of context comments are being put on this blog by obviously malicious and sometimes anti semitic characters about an outstanding organization that I once served on the Board of. The organization was a relatively small grass roots groups 20 years ago that has grown to more than an annual budget of $120 million plus significant housing development. That is all due to Mr. Rapfogel's expertise and entrpreneurial style. He has turned Metropolitan Council into a strong example of what a non-profit should be like.
I recently visited with him and could not believe how small the administrative staff is (comparable organizations have substantially higher salaries and more people being paid much more) and how much he has accomplished. He has earned his salray just from building more than 1,000 apartments for senior citizens and for the incredible kosher food pantry (the largest in America) that serves more than 10,000 families and so much more.
I find the hostility on this website extremely distressing. It should be better policed.
Fake triallawyer, 408,000 is around 80% of 500,000 that sounds pretty off to me.
If you look at Azi's numbers in one of his more recent posts you'd see a lower number.
So basically people are pulling numbers out of the air and honestly I trust Azi's reporting more than yours. (maybe its the fact that he copied and pasted the actual numbers)
And anyone who knows the people who work at met council knows that a 35 hour week never happens. They work hard every day and for some no nothing morons to come in and say otherwise is beyond stupid.
Although I think Met Council does fine work and had contributed to it in the past, I was flummoxed a few years ago, when I called the agency to ask if it could deliver kosher meals to my mom. I was informed that since my mom lives 'outside its catchement area' (by perhaps 2 miles or so), she was ineligible for the meal delivery. That would be fine if it was just getting some funds only from legislators who represent the district in which the agency is housed. But given the city and statewide scope of its govt.contributions and budget, I was and still am quite puzzled by Met Council's geographical restrictions on its food assistance.
I work for meals on wheels in the Bronx. The City is responsible for carving up the "catchment" areas so that non-profits don't climb all over each other to deliver in another group's area. Met Council is merely following the rules of their contract by observing the boundaries - like 'em or not - that are set for them. Blame Bloomberg and his folks.
A mayor makes way more than $500,000 per year in China.
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