ALBANY — The Bronx Democratic Committee that until recently was run by new Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has been quietly fixing years’ worth of financial filings with the state Board of Elections, the Daily News has learned.
Since Heastie became speaker in February, the county committee has either amended its filings dating to 2010 or submitted for the first time disclosure forms that were legally required but never filed.
The changes came after the Board of Elections began a formal review of the county committee’s activities in January, shortly before Heastie became speaker. A source said the review was prompted by a large number of incomplete addresses and other missing information from the committee’s two campaign accounts between 2010 and now.
Heastie had chaired the Bronx Democratic Party since 2008. He gave up the post when he became speaker in February.
The Bronx committee submitted all its updates in late February and early March.
Many of the amended filings included technical changes. In at least one case, the Bronx committee returned $5,000 to a corporation that had donated above the legal limit. Another amendment made it clear that $1,600 the committee sent to St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx was actually a refunded contribution.
For the public, the changes would have been virtually undetectable since the online database maintained by the Board of Elections only posts the latest versions of the filings. The Daily News was able to do a side-by-side comparison only after filing a freedom of information request seeking the original filings and any amendments filed within the last six months.
A Heastie spokesman referred questions to the county committee. Bronx Democratic Campaign Committee treasurer Michael Benedetto, a state assemblyman, said Heastie had nothing to do with the filings.
“We always try to comply with the law,” Benedetto said. “Sometimes we fell a little short in crossing all the T’s and dotting all the I’s. The board had never said anything to us. Once they did, we proceeded to correct all these things.”
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The state has begun asking workers to snitch on colleagues who they see smoking in the Capitol complex parking garages.
“No smoking” signs recently went up in the garages warning that smokers can be fined $1,000 for each violation.
The bottom of the signs read: “To report violators confidentially CALL (518) 447-4580.” The number is a direct line to the Albany County Department of Health. There is also a number for a quit-smoking hotline.
“It’s like we’re hardened criminals,” groused one smoker. “I don’t want the smoking police showing up at my desk.”
Audrey Silk, founder of the New York City-based Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, said: “It makes for a hostile work environment where people are wondering who’s spying on who.”
Heather Groll, spokeswoman for the state Office of General Services, which put up the signs, said her agency has received numerous complaints about people smoking in the garages and their parked cars.
“We do everything we can to stop it and also to encourage people to quit smoking altogether,” Groll said.
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After not once receiving a raise during his nearly 10 years as a state lawmaker, former Brooklyn Assemblyman Karim Camara made up for it when he recently joined the Cuomo administration, records show.
Camara is being paid $150,000 to head Cuomo’s new Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services, according to the state controller’s office. As a legislator, Camara received a base salary of $79,500 and a $12,500 stipend for chairing a commission.
