Thursday, March 12, 2009

Adolfo Carrion under fire

Recently chosen White House urban affairs director Adolfo Carrion has come under controversy for several actions during his time as Bronx borough president.

Local prosecutors are examining the circumstances behind Carrion not paying architect Hugo Subotovsky for renovating his home in 2007. While that may seem like small potatoes, eyebrows have been raised since Subotovsky was also working at the time on a major housing development in the Bronx.

In addition, Carrion has been accused of accepting thousands of dollars in donations from developers in return for approving or funding their projects.

A watchdog group has admonished Carrion’s possible conflict of interest:
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder in response to several Daily News reports about Carrión's dealings while he was Bronx borough president.

"If the era of pay-to-play politics is over, Adolfo Carrión did not get the message," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of the Democrat-leaning CREW.
Carrion- who is of Puerto Rican background- oversaw the construction of over 40,000 new housing units as Bronx borough president. The former urban planner was accused of being heavy-handed, however, in helping push the plan to build a new Yankee Stadium.

Image- newsday.com
Online Sources- newsday.com, Latina, MSNBC, New York Times, New York Daily News

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