So, I found some interesting fund raising numbers recently, but held back until I knew about IND's endorsement in the 39th district. Now I have taken a leave of absence from IND's executive board, I am able to write about it.

The Idependent Neighborhood Democrats claim that "independence" from the Brooklyn Democratic machine, led by one Vito Lopez. Now when elections come around in Park Slope and Prospect Heights and places like that, I find Vito Lopez's name is dirt. The name of IND has carried weight in a positive way, but the name of Vito Lopez carries weight in a negative way. Sometimes when I am discussing a race with a voter, they interrupt me and ask who Vito Lopez is supporting. When I tell them, they say, "that's all I need to know...I'll support the other person." This was invariably a winning tactic during the 2007 Surrogate Judge race where I could get people voting for Diane Johnson largely by pointing out that her opponent was supported by Vito Lopez.

Why is Vito Lopez such a pariah? Because his name has become synonymous with corruption. You can see more about his corruption here as well.

That is why reform clubs like the Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND) and Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID) fight so hard against him and his machine. That is why they take on the "reform" label that many respect so much.

Except...sometimes those who claim reform are not reform...and I want to highlight some of them.

IND, as recent events have shown, is dominated by a man named Salvatore "Buddy" Scotto. This man has done much in his many years in the public limelight. Sit down with him and listen for awhile and you will hear many interesting stories. But...one can't help but wonder about his dedication to reform these days. Buddy Scotto is a dominant member of IND, and yet...and yet, is this man so dedicated to reform?

In 2005 Salvatore Scotto donated to Machine Boss Vito Lopez's political organization (Friends of Vito Lopez). Scotto did so again in 2008. (This and all info below from the NY State elections board contribution list for Vito Lopez).

Buddy Scotto is able to sway votes in IND, as he did this week for John Heyer. He is on the board of IND. He has been a dominant member for decades. Yet he has been playing footsie with Vito Lopez since 2005. This calls into question the "reform" credentials of IND. Which is a shame because they HAVE at times been a good force for reform.

But wait...there's more. Recently IND, through Buddy Scotto's influence, endorsed David Yassky for Comptroller. Now I have previously highlighted some of Yassky's shadier moves, like using a big chunk of his discretionary funding as a City Councilman to fund, OUT OF DISTRICT, another former City Councilman Steve DiBrienza's fake non-profit. There are two problems with this. First, no one has been able to find ANYONE who benefited from DiBrienza's non-profit, so just where did the money go? Most of it to salaries for Steve DiBrienza, his family and his friends. Did Yassky, running for, ahem, COMPTROLLER, know this? Second, Yassky made this questionable contribution right after Steve DiBrienza endorsed Yassky. Pay to play?

A similar situation arose when David Yassky was endorsed by the president of an organization called BUILD. President of BUILD endorses Yassky, Yassky almost immediately turned around to propose the city (that's your money and mine) fund BUILD. Pay to play?

So we already have a problem with Yassky and money...a bad combination for someone running for Comptroller, the person in charge of the city's money.

But Yassky also claims to be "reform." And IND, a "reform" club, endorsed him. David Yassky donated to Vito Lopez, the very Party Boss that IND claims to be independent of and claims to oppose. Of course since Buddy Scotto has also donated to Vito Lopez, both Yassky and Scotto have financially opposed the reform they claim to support and which IND claims to support. And Scotto was also backing Yassky. All of which again calls into question the reform label of IND and Yassky.

But let me be clear...it isn't just Yassky and IND. One of Yassky's rivals, Councilman David Weprin, has given TWICE as much to Vito Lopez as Yassky has. Is this a competition on Yassky and Weprin's part to curry favor, or at least minimal opposition, from Lopez? For the record, neither of the other two candidates in the Comptroller's race, Melinda Katz or John Liu, have donated to corrupt Party Boss Vito Lopez as far as I can tell. And also for the record, the candidates that I have previously spoken in favor of in this race are Weprin (who donated to Lopez) and Liu (who did not).

An earlier Vito Lopez connection I focused on, back in 2006, was when Michael Ratner, relative of Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner, donated no less than $3,100 to Vito Lopez. That is more than Scotto, Yassky and Weprin put together. Right after this donation from Michael Ratner to Vito Lopez, Vito Lopez proposed a bill in the Assembly that basically gave so much to Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project that even Ratner supporter Mike Bloomberg balked and opposed it. Vito's payback to the Ratners was eventually rebuffed.

And is it another Ratner connection that Barclay #2 Realty Corp also donated to Vito Lopez? I am not sure if this is the same Barclay's that spent so much cash buying the naming rights to Ratner's arena (with no team??? not sure) or not. But Barclay #2 Realty Corp donated $2,500 to Lopez. But then again developers and chiropractors are his main donors anyway.

At least, as far as I can tell so far, Vito Lopez is not yet connected with the Pensiongate scandal...like David Yassky MAY be, since the brother of Quadrangle's Steven Rattner, one key Pensiongate figures in Pensiongate, donated to...you guessed it! David Yassky! So we come back to a scandal associated with IND's anointed candidate for Comptroller. Now I should mention that Steve Rattner (NOT "Ranter") claims to be the victim in the Pensiongate scandal, accusing Josh Wolf-Powers and Hank Morris of corruption. Others, like allies of Wolf-Powers, suggest it is Steve Rattner who was corrupt and is blaming an innocent Wolf-Powers. So far I remain neutral in the Wolf-Powers vs. Steve Rattner controversy. I don't fully trust either and am suspicious of any candidate either one donates to.

But I digress from those who have donated to corrupt Party Boss Vito Lopez.

Citigroup also donated to Vito to the tune of $1250. JP Morgan Chase donated $800. Empire Petroleum gave around $7000 to Vito. HK Management and HK Realty (same address) donated $6750. HT Homes and HT Development (same address) donated $8000. Christine Quinn's campaign gave just shy of $3000. Dom Recchia gave about $2000.

And of course the list goes on. Vito Lopez RAKES in the money, including from IND's Buddy Scotto and David Yassky and so many others, so he can support candidates like City Council candidate Steve Levin.

My main point was the link between IND and Vito Lopez, the man they claim to oppose. This bothered me when I first saw it, but I refrained from posting (as an IND executive board member) during this endorsement season so I could see who IND would endorse. Yassky, who shares the "honor" of donating to Vito Lopez with all these others, was one of the IND endorsements that raised a red flag for me. And now that the endorsements are over, and I have taken a leave of absence from IND, I am now free to write about this.