The Weekly Watchdog

This week on the Weekly Watchdog: Shady contracts, missed deadlines, hidden kickbacks, and omitted documents—a typical week in the Empire State. (And not one word on the downfall of the rule of law across the republic.)

Here’s the latest on reform and good government in New York.

News Worth Clicking

Just Another Day Workers Say They Were Pressured to Pay for N.Y.C. Election Jobs The New York Times By Shayla Colon	It’s been a while since we heard about patronage, favoritism, and misconduct at the New York City Board of Elections. And by that, we mean three months. This week, we have a pay-to-play scheme where poll workers were asked to contribute money and collect signatures to secure coveted jobs, all favoring Bronx Republican Party leaders. It almost sounds like political parties should not be in charge of administering our elections.
Um, Why Are We Doing This? New York City Paying $500,000 A Month to Indicted Developer Who Could Testify Against Mayor Eric Adams The Guardian By George Joseph and Yoav Gonen	A hotel developer is indicted for bribery after securing more than $20 million in city-funded contracts to house formerly incarcerated individuals. The vendor overseeing the contract is replaced, and the new vendor picks a different developer—except it’s the same one. Confused? We called it “baffling.” But there’s more. The hotel developer, Weihong Hu, has been at the center of media reports about potentially illegal campaign contributions to Mayor Adams, and a court filing revealed she is engaged in plea negotiations that could implicate City Hall officials. Maybe that’s worth a $542,000-a-month contract.
The State of Transparency Report: Over Half of NY Counties Don’t Report Criminal Case Decisions Times Union By Raga Justin	Tried looking up a criminal case recently? Good luck. New York’s criminal court judges can decide whether to publish their rulings, and according to a new report from our friends at Reinvent Albany and Scrutinize, very few do. In 2024, only 394 criminal court decisions were published, leaving the overwhelming majority inaccessible to the public. With the criminal justice system at the center of public debate, shouldn’t the public get a glimpse of what’s going on over there?
MyCity – Our Contracts Does Eric Adams’s $100 Million Website Do Anything? New York Focus By Zacary Groz	It was one of Eric Adams’ biggest promises in the 2021 mayoral campaign: an innovative, one-stop shop for New Yorkers to access city services and benefits with just a few clicks. Several years and more than $100 million later, the MyCity portal remains a skeletal hub with limited functionality—and plenty of happy contractors. Where did all that money go, and what’s next? New York Focus unpacks the long ordeal.
A Saga of Misery NYC Commission Calls for Fixes to Speed Close Rikers Timeline, Reduce Jail Population New York Daily News By Graham Rayman	In 2016, an independent commission led by former Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman developed a blueprint to safely close the Rikers Island jail complex and replace it with smaller, borough-based jails. With the 2027 deadline looming and little progress made, a new Lippman Commission confirmed what many already suspected: the City won’t meet the deadline. But it proposed a new path forward and reminded us why closure remains imperative: “Decrepit, dysfunctional, and violent, Rikers is a crumbling, inordinately expensive incubator of misery and reoffending.” Regardless of the timetable, the jail could very well be placed under court receivership very soon (we support).
From the Mayoral Race Cuomo Failed to Disclose Lobbyists Who Bundled Donations New York Focus By Chris Bragg and Julia Rock	Here’s a thrilling word for you: intermediary. Not excited yet? You can be sure candidates are. Contributions that are “intermediated” by other individuals are a great way for campaigns to raise money—and a great way for lobbyists to gain influence. We’ve been working for years to limit the risks of this “bundling” fundraising practice, with some success. Apparently, as this story shows, some campaigns haven’t gotten the memo.