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Council Grants Often Shortchange Needy New York Districts By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ and JO CRAVEN McGINTY Councilman Charles Barron of Brooklyn represents one of New York’s most troubled neighborhoods, where violence runs rampant and the median income hovers near $34,000. But when it came time to dole out discretionary grants last year, the City Council gave Mr. Barron one-seventh the amount it gave the councilman representing a far wealthier neighborhood next door. Mr. Barron was furious. “We don’t have enough to go around,” he said. “It’s killing our programs.” Lawmakers covet the $18 million pot of money distributed by the Council every year, saying that despite its relatively small size, it was a crucial way to respond to community needs. But in distributing that money, the Council has neglected lawmakers who serve some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, an analysis of financial records by The New York Times shows. Each of the 51 council members gives out grants, or earmarks, ranging from $80,000 to more than $1 million. Mr. Barron, who serves parts of East New York and Brownsville, received about $137,000 last year, while his neighbor to the south, Councilman Lewis A. Fidler, got $967,000. Other high-poverty areas also got the short end of the stick. In the South Bronx, Councilwoman Helen D. Foster received about $80,000 last year and in 2009. And in Washington Heights and Inwood, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez received $200,000 in 2010. In the race for earmarks, status often trumps economic need, council members say. Council leaders and those who curry favor with the speaker, Christine C. Quinn, consistently win the largest share of the pot. In an interview, Ms. Quinn, who has the final say in how the money is distributed, disputed the idea that needy districts had been ignored or that politics played a role in the process. She said the Council took pains to ensure that struggling neighborhoods received adequate money from a variety of sources. Read more at www.nytimes.com

 

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