Melissa Mark-Viverito is Not an Advocate for NYC
I’m glad there are so many choices for Public Advocate for NYC.
There is definitely one person who should not be running for Public Advocate……Melissa Mark-Viverito.
Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao
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- Melissa Mark-Viverito supported Brooklyn’s corrupt Assemblywoman, Pam Harris. Viverito endorsed and campaigned for Harris in November 2016, even after Assemblywoman Harris admitted to newspapers in the Summer of 2016 that she had done dishonest things. Mark-Viverito felt the media did Harris wrong.
- The money Pam Harris received was from Councilman Mark Treyger, so as the Speaker of New York City Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito should have been able to check into how that money was spent. We got stuck with Harris for two years until she was charged, arrested and brought to court this year! Harris was found guilty on fraud and witness-tampering and was sentenced to jail and fined. Viverito couldn’t be straight with Harris and say, “Boo, move onto something else.” (Harris probably would not have been investigated or be going to jail if she hadn’t remained in office)
Three words could have helped Pam Harris:
- When I asked Melissa Mark-Viverito’s office for transparency on this issue, she would not provide it. After we called her office multiple times, her staff would not return calls. I wrote about it on Twitter and Melissa Mark-Viverito did not respond – even though she is an active Twitter user who shares hundreds of pictures of herself and has someone help her manage the account.
- That year, NYC Councilman Treyger assigned Pam Harris’ not-for-profit MORE money than the year before. (Residents screamed NOOOOOOOOOOO). I called on Melissa Mark-Viverito to watch that money and not allow Treyger to fund Harris’ not-for-profit. Initially it was held, but then the city records showed it was released. Later, newspapers said that Harris was no longer in charge of the group, but Melissa Mark-Viverito didn’t think she, Councilman Treyger or Pam Harris should have to answer to residents about it. We also asked Scott Stringer, the NYC Comptroller to look into it. Stringer didn’t do anything – he didn’t act as a watchdog for the city’s money because he and Treyger are friends.
- In 2015, I wrote to Melissa Mark-Viverito about my property taxes being twice the cost of Bill de Blasio’s property tax when his home is 4 miles from my home and worth twice the value of my home. This is happening to many residents in Brooklyn. Why didn’t Melissa Mark-Viverito issue a moratorium on the property taxes and investigate? Mark-Viverito’s response was to send my letter to my local councilman (Gentile) and told him to respond. #FAIL When people write to the head of NYC Council, it means they need more help. Pushing the problem onto someone else instead of addressing the problem is not leadership. This tells NY’ers their issue is not important and isn’t going to be heard. See article on MMV and property taxes.
- Melissa Mark-Viverto’s office took a month to respond to my letter. No one at her office provided a name or contact number. No one followed up to see if anything was done. In fact, according to this letter, NYC property owners should have received help from the “NYC Council Finance Division” over three years ago!
Click here to see a larger version
- In 2017, Melissa Mark-Viverito showed NYC she was done being in political office. She pushed for Oscar Lopez Rivera to be honored at the Puerto Rican Day Parade. There was a lot of controversy about this man because of his past, yet Melissa Mark-Viverto thought it should be overlooked because she liked it him (just like Pam Harris). There are so many Puerto Rican people in America who could have received that honor, but Melissa Mark-Viverito couldn’t hear anyone else. Mark-Viverito wouldn’t even take reporters questions about it.
- Melissa Mark-Viverito banned the press from City Hall. She was term-limited and wasn’t running for anything else, so she banned he press from City Hall. This is not a person with integrity and won’t make NYC more transparent.
- Melissa Mark Viverito wants to put jails in our communities because those in jail are “our family members” and neighbors. I don’t have any family members in jail. People who go to jail are people who think the laws don’t apply to them – no one wants that in their neighborhood. Of course teens shouldn’t have been sent to Rikers, but what’s wrong with people who do the wrong thing serving their time?
- Melissa Mark-Vivierto took a knee in September 2017, but she wouldn’t let New York City Council vote on the Right to Know Act. Again, photo ops ruled NYC instead of legislation.When MMV had the power to change the law for the people, she didn’t. See here
- Melissa Mark -Viverto took a job with a PAC named the Latino Victory Fund. NYC has had enough with politicans and PACs. Melissa Mark-Viverto is where she should be and doing what she enjoys doing. The government is for all nationalities – not just Latinos. While the United States should be helping Puerto Rico, this is not NYC’s burden to bear. Melissa Mark-Viverto
Melissa Mark-Viverito has shown she is not a person who is interested in serving people, helping people or making the government more transparent. She is interested in helping a few people (like Marty Golden was) and taking a lot of pictures of herself (like Nicole Malliotakis).
More importantly, Melissa Mark-Viverito is a woman who became part of “the machine” and believes that we all should be lucky to have someone like her in office.
I haven’t investigated all of the people running for Public Advocate, but we need to make sure machine politicians aren’t running this election.
Hugs,
marlene
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