Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is nothing if not creative.
Just as money managers urge their clients to diversify their portfolios, Markowitz makes sure that his preferred non-profit groups have (other people’s) cash flowing in from lots of different sources.
In recent weeks, New Yorkers learned that Markowitz directed no-bid city contracts worth nearly $700,000 to his personal nonprofit, Best of Brooklyn, Inc.
Then The Post reported that Bruce Ratner – developer of the Markowitz-supported Atlantic Yards Project – and several associates have contributed as much as $1 million to BOB, the Martin Luther King Concert Series and the Seaside Summer Concert Series.
Most recently, The Post revealed that Markowitz’s nonprofits had a third huge source of income: Bloomberg administration agencies kicked in between $2.4 million and $4.8 million of taxpayer dough over the last five years.
And, for good measure, Markowitz’s groups also got between $544,724 and $834,724 from state agencies.
(Many contributions were listed in broad ranges rather than exact figures.)
So, for those counting, if you’re a non-profit connected to Marty Markowitz, you’ve got a good shot at sharing in a cash pot worth millions.
Given the tawdriness exposed in the City Council “member item” scandal, a third party needs to look at the books of Marty Markowitz and his nonprofits.
Considering that the Department of Investigations is a city agency – and reports to the mayor – that creates a conflict of interest.
Thus the logical person to take up the task would be Brooklyn DA Joel Hynes.
The sooner, the better.