In my most recent “Vines” column, I was a bit hard on council member Jumaane Williams; I would admit that. I even felt it was justified based on the information I was working with. So it wasn't at all surprising when he called me to defend his position. This column essentially delves into the gist of the council member's response.

Readers should note that it is not unusual for incoming council members, to replace community board members appointed by their predecessors. In fact, it is practically a norm -as these things go. I will suggest that if you haven't read my last column, then you should do so now before you move forward in this column. It will give you a better understanding of what I am writing about here.  read more »

I have been watching the unfolding WFP scandal with some interest, but have been waiting to comment. Partly I wasn't at first sure if we were talking minor technicalities that WFP ran afoul of or if we are talking about a deeper pattern of disregard for campaign finance laws. I am now thinking it is a deeper pattern of disregard for the law, or at least an attempt to skirt the laws, that we are talking about. [Couple of UPDATES added]

An article in City Hall News covers this developing scandal in considerable detail. Here is the breakdown they give of the scandal:  read more »