Quinn Fields Questions, Says Little About Indictment of Council Staffers

At a press conference about legislative matters just now, Christine Quinn was asked if the indictment of two Kendall Stewart staffers, who allegedly pocketed taxpayer money, would affect her proposal to give the mayor’s office more authority over local funding requests.

“Obviously there is additional information everybody will get,” she said. “As we look at that, if there are more comments and questions we can answer, we will.”

Quinn is expected to meet with Council members later today behind closed doors.

The indictment cuts into a claim Quinn has been making since the little-known slush fund came to light recently. For a number of years, taxpayer money was hidden behind the name of fake organizations and later doled out. Because the money ultimately went to legitimate groups, a number of people, including Quinn, have downplayed the significance of the fake organizations and equated the practice with an improper accounting practice.

But the indictment today alleges that $140,000, funneled into one of these fake groups, later went to the Donna Reid Fund, which had previously had its application for funding rejected.

Quinn said she had met one of the staffers named in the indictment, Asquith Reid, but did not immediately recall meeting the second, Joycinth Anderson. She also said he had not yet had time to read the full indictment.